Update: DeKalb County man in his 50s dies due to coronavirus complications

A DeKalb County man in his 50s has died from complications due to the coronavirus, reports the DeKalb County Health Department Monday.

No new cases of the viral respiratory disease were reported Monday, confirmed Lisa Gonzalez, public health administrator. The death is one of the 22 reported cases in the county. The majority of cases are reported to be in the City of DeKalb, according to the county health department.

The identity of the man is not being released to the public to protect the privacy of his family, according to a news release from the health department. The gender of the resident was released by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

When asked whether the man died in his home or at a nearby hospital, and if he passed away Sunday or Monday, Gonzalez declined to provide details, citing the privacy of the deceased man's family.

"I want to express my deepest sympathy for the family and loved ones of the resident," said Gonzalez in a news release. "Those working on this response and throughout our community feel for your family as well as the families of everyone who has been affected by this virus."

For the second day in a row, no new cases were reported in DeKalb County Monday. With 22 reported cases and one death, the case count includes: one person under 19, two in their 20s (including a Northern Illinois University student), six in their 30s, seven in their 40s, three in their 50s (including the reported death), and three in their 70s.

A Kishwaukee College student also tested positive, along with a second NIU student who does not live in DeKalb County.

The county health department is now including the zip code and a case range in their reporting, as is the IDPH, which reports that the City of DeKalb has between 13 cases. The county health department reports Cortland, Sycamore, Hinckley, Sandwich and Malta have been one and five cases each.

The IDPH also announced Monday the statewide death toll has risen to 307, with 12,262 cases now reported, and 62,942 COVID-19 tests administered.

The first case in DeKalb County was announced March 21.

Little else is known about the cases in the county, as public health officials and representatives of Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital have declined to provide any, citing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which prohibits any information be released which could identify the patient.

Limited testing is being conducted at Northwestern Medicine health system hospitals and private lab facilities across the state, which are prioritizing high-risk patients or those experiencing severe symptoms.

"The health and safety of those in our community is our top priority," Gonzalez continued in a statement. "We will continue working together to care for the patients, protect the safety of health care workers and first responders, and protect the people in our community."

DeKalb County social distancing grade drops

DeKalb County scored a ‘D-’ on social distancing report card, as compared to March’s ‘A’ grade, according to the latest data available through GPS location tracking data.

Unacast, a company which collects and analyzes phone GPS location data, launched a 'Social Distancing Scoreboard' March 24, which grades counties on average distance traveled by monitoring decreases in that average travel.

According to the most recent available data, reported Monday, DeKalb County had a 40% decrease in average mobility based on distance traveled, and a less than 55% decrease in non-essential visits. That’s an almost 5% decrease from the March 24 numbers, when DeKalb County scored an ‘A’ grade.

Neighboring counties such as Kendall, Will, Lee, Whiteside all scored a D or D-, while LaSalle scored an F, McHenry, Lake and Kane counties scored a C, and Cook and DuPage counties scored a B-.