Another COVID-19 death Thursday as DeKalb County records new highest reported single-day case count

Another DeKalb County resident is dead from COVID-19 Thursday, as DeKalb County set a new record for reported single-day cases, and Willow Crest Nursing Pavilion in Sandwich, the site of the county’s deadliest COVID-19 outbreak, was removed from outbreak mode.

On Thursday, 59 more DeKalb County residents tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total to 2,608, as cases continue to surge locally, across the state and around the nation. The death, which marks 43 in the county since the start of the pandemic, was not connected to any long-term care facility, according to the DeKalb County Health Department.

Also on Thursday, Willow Crest Nursing Pavilion in Sandwich -- the site of the deadliest COVID-19 outbreak in the county with 15 deaths and 70 cases -- was removed from outbreak mode after reporting no positive cases for 28 days.

In the past 13 days, there have been 538 cases recorded in the county, accounting for 20.6% of all local cases identified in the county since the pandemic began seven months ago.

Of the new cases in the county Thursday, 12 were in residents younger than 20, 14 in their 20s, nine in their 30s, eight each in their 40s and 50s, five in their 60s, and three in their 70s.

Another employee of Prairie Crossing Living and Rehabilitation Center in Shabbona tested positive.

The county's seven-day rolling positivity rate dipped below 10%, to 9.6% according to the most recent available data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, which reports positivity rates with a three-day lag.

The county’s health region, Region 1, began enhanced restrictions earlier this month, with restaurants and bars prohibited from allowing indoor dining. Region 1, which includes DeKalb, the Sauk Valley area and Rockford, reported a seven-day rolling test positivity rate of 13.4% as of Oct. 26, since IDPH data is three days behind.

The region needs three days in a row of a rolling average of less than 6.5% to have the restrictions lifted. The region's rate has not dropped below 8% since mitigations went into effect, so restrictions will remain until otherwise stated by the IDPH.

By the numbers

In total, there are 445 cases in residents younger than 20, 738 in their 20s, 360 in their 30s, 360 in their 40s, 311 in their 50s, 170 in their 60s, 112 in their 70s and 108 who are 80 or older.

Although not listed on the county website, the Illinois Department of Public Health lists Opportunity House as a long-term care facility and reports an outbreak of 15 cases.

Prairie Crossing Living and Rehabilitation Center in Shabbona reported four cases (three in staff, one in a resident). Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Living Center remained at two cases (one each in a resident and employee), while DeKalb County Rehabilitation and Nursing Center reports 13 (12 in employees, one resident) and Oak Crest-DeKalb Area Retirement Center also reports 13 (seven in staff, six residents).

To date, there have been 26 deaths reported in DeKalb County residents in their 80s, six in their 70s, five in their 60s, three in their 50s, and one each in their 40s, 30s and an infant.

According to county data, the city of DeKalb reports between 1,311 and 1,315 cases. There are between 411 to 415 cases in Sycamore, 241 to 245 in Sandwich and Plano (listed as one region on the site), 181 to 185 cases in Genoa, 121 and 125 cases in Cortland, 66 to 70 cases in Kirkland, 56 to 60 cases in Hinckley, 51 to 55 cases in Kingston, 36 to 40 in Malta, 31 and 35 in Somonauk, 26 and 30 in Waterman, and 21 to 25 in Maple Park and Shabbona. Esmond, Leland, Earlville and Clare each report between one and five cases.

Cases on the DeKalb County website list residents that only live within the county lines for a municipality, while the state website lists everyone within a certain ZIP code. Numbers also may vary because of data lags.

The 60115 ZIP code, including DeKalb, had 1,241 cases reported and 22,230 tests administered (a positivity rate of 5.58%); the 60178 ZIP code, including Sycamore, had 414 cases and 8,077 tests (5.1%); the 60548 ZIP code, including Sandwich, had 5,344 tests and 355 cases (6.6%); the 60112 ZIP code, including Cortland, had 126 cases and 1,829 tests (6.8%); the 60135 ZIP code, including Genoa, had 176 cases and 2,646 tests (6.6%); the 60145 ZIP code, including Kingston, had 50 cases and 728 tests (6.8%); the 60146 ZIP code, including Kirkland, had 77 cases and 1,027 tests (7.4%); the 60520 ZIP code, including Hinckley, had 53 cases and 981 tests (5.4%); the 60550 ZIP code, including Shabbona, had 19 cases and 726 tests (2.6%); the 60150 ZIP code, including Malta, had 30 cases and 597 tests (5.2%) the 60151 ZIP code, including parts of Maple Park in both DeKalb and Kane counties, had 72 cases and 1,353 tests (5.3%); and the 60556 ZIP code, including Waterman, had 24 cases and 572 tests (4.1%).

The IDPH reported 395,458 people in Illinois have tested positive for COVID-19, while 9,675 people have died statewide. There have been 7,542,098 tests performed.

According to recovery and testing data released weekly by the county on Oct. 23, 921 are still in the recovery period and 1,364 have fully recovered. Updated testing and recovery data is expected Friday.