Effingham's Health Department Adds 47 New Cases of COVID-19 Wednesday

The Effingham County Health Department received word Wednesday of 47 new cases of COVID-19.

In a brief post on Facebook, the department noted they were busy with contact tracing efforts, and not able to provide their usual metrics, breaking down the age ranges of those infected with the virus, and the total number of tests that had been performed.

The jump in cases for Effingham County comes amid a surge in new cases statewide. Coles county reports 64 new cases, Shelby county has 16 new cases while Fayette and Marion counties each report nine new cases and Clay county indicates five new cases. IDPH reported 6,110 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, including 51 additional deaths.

With the surge in new cases, Region 6 went to 8.1% for the 7-day rolling positivity rate. Three consecutive days over 8% will see additional restrictions placed on the area, including bars and restaurants no longer being allowed to have indoor service. Other restrictions are listed in the graphic below. More data for Region 6 is available here.

Health officials continue to urge the public to follow safety guidelines to help prevent additional restrictions. Guidelines include wearing face masks, washing hands regularly, maintaining 6ft social distancing, and avoiding large groups.

The State IDPH Mobile COVID-19 testing unit returns to Effingham on Sunday, November 1 from 9 am - 5 pm, at the health department at 901 West Virginia Avenue. The testing service is available to anyone seeking testing. No appointment or physician order is required, and there is no charge to individuals for COVID testing.