Local nursing homes, care facilities hit new record: More than 1,000 cases, 100 deaths since March

The coronavirus wave impacting the Sauk Valley's most vulnerable residents reached its most solemn level yet last week, with newly released data showing that since the spring more than 100 deaths and more than 1,000 cases have been linked to people living and working in long-term care facilities.

According to data updated Friday by the Illinois Department of Public Health, 122 COVID-19 related deaths and 1,020 confirmed coronavirus cases have been recorded at 28 nursing homes and assisted living facilities across Carroll, Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties since March.

That milestone comes as a staggering 30 more deaths from COVID-19 and 83 new cases of coronavirus were reported among people who live and work at those facilities in the last week.

While the 7 days spanning Nov. 27 to Dec. 4 shows a decrease in the number of new cases, it also marks the second consecutive week of 30 residents and workers dying from the virus.

Of the people to contract the virus in the last week, 18 were staying or working in Lee County care centers, 18 were staying or working in Ogle County care centers and 47 were staying or working in Whiteside County care centers.

Of the people living or working at long-term care centers and nursing homes who died from the virus in the last week, 10 were in Lee County, seven were in Ogle County and 13 were in Whiteside County.

Identifying factors such as age and gender are not included in the data, which is updated weekly on the IDPH website.

Of the 28 facilities, 23 facilities have an "open," or active outbreak, which the IDPH defines as a positive test result in the last 28 days.

New active outbreaks at facilities added to the latest data include Liberty Court Assisted Living and Memory Care in Dixon, Pinecrest Village in Mt. Morris and Coventry Living Center in Sterling.

When asked Friday what else could be done to protect long-term care facility residents and workers, Gov JB Pritzker responded with a deep sigh.

"This is, frankly, the same challenge that exists in all the other populations, and even more so, when we're at the highest levels of the pandemic," Pritzker said. "This surge has been even much higher than the last surge was, back in the spring."

Even though the virus was prevalent in facilities in the spring, the latest totals stand in stark contrast to figures from a month ago, when Sauk Valley care centers and nursing homes had recorded only 339 total confirmed cases and 16 total deaths related to the virus.

Between the weeks ending Oct. 16 and Dec. 4, Sauk Valley long-term care facilities have logged 106 deaths and 681 cases, a clear sign that the virus is gripping residents and those tasked with administering care to them.

Local health department officials have largely pointed to the virus ripping through the communities surrounding facilities as an explanation for its surge inside facilities.

In the same span between Oct. 16 and Dec. 4, the Sauk Valley reported a total of 7,243 new confirmed virus cases.

"The increase of cases in the community means workers are at a higher risk, and are therefore at a higher risk of bringing it into the facility," Whiteside County Health Department spokesman Cory Law said last week.

"Once you have the virus in a congregate care setting — any congregate care setting — it's difficult to control," Law said.

Local health department officials also have said that an explosion of deaths inside facilities is mostly due to the heightened vulnerabilities that come with being elderly or disabled.

"By virtue of being older, you are put in that higher risk category and are more susceptible to get really sick," Lee County Health Department Administrator Ferguson-Allen said last week.

"By virtue of being in a nursing home, you probably have other health conditions going on and because of them, are more likely to not recover.".

Ranking third, 11th and 46th on highest death rates per capita, Carroll, Whiteside and Ogle counties will be among the first to receive COVID-19 vaccine shipments in the next weeks.

State officials have said that the initial vaccines will go to health care workers and long-term care residents in those counties.

Until then, Pritzker said the state has directed long-term care facilities to pause outdoor visits and has required more testing of staff and residents.

"Certainly infection control is better overall now than it was at the very beginning because there’s a greater understanding of what needs to be done," Pritzker said.

While these numbers tell some of the story of how the coronavirus has impacted long-term care facilities, they do not tell the whole story.

Help Sauk Valley Media report on the pandemic across our area. We're looking for nursing home administrators, workers, residents and family members who are willing to share their experiences with us.

Contact news reporters Timothy Eggert at teggert@saukvalley.com or 815-632-2533, and Jeff Helfrich at jhelfrich@oglecountynews.com or 815-632-2590.