DeKalb County’s virus positivity rate drops, but CDC reports community transmission still high

DeKALB – Statewide data shows a dip in DeKalb County’s COVID-19 positivity rate, though federal data shows community transmission of the virus is still high.

The county reported 25 more cases on Tuesday. No new deaths were reported, leaving the death toll at 187. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, that brings the total case count to 22,762. Case data doesn’t include positive cases identified through at-home virus testing and might not include test results waiting to be reported from backlogged laboratories.

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Hospitalizations and positivity rate

As of Tuesday, there are 20 intensive care unit beds available in the region, according to state data.

DeKalb County continues to report a high community transmission of the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Tuesday, the county reported about 277 cases per 100,000 residents and 18 new hospital admissions. According to the CDC, everyone in DeKalb County should wear masks in public indoor settings.

The seven-day rolling positivity rate for Region 1, which runs north to Rockford and west to the Iowa border, is 6.7%. The DeKalb County positivity rate is at 5.5%. Positivity rates are reported with a three-day data lag. Region 1 also reported a seven-day average of 126 COVID-19 patients hospitalized.

According to the IDPH, 143,638 total vaccine doses have been administered to DeKalb County residents and 57,027 residents – or 56.7% of the county’s population of 100,420, according to 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data – have been fully vaccinated. As of Tuesday, 28,174 booster shots have been administered to county residents. The seven-day rolling average of doses administered to county residents is 109.

The IDPH reported that 3,004,664 Illinoisans have tested positive for COVID-19, while 32,072 have died statewide. The department reported that at least 53,187,015 tests have been administered to date. That does not include self tests administered at home.

Vaccination by ZIP code

Updated vaccination by ZIP code data shows the percentages of residents in DeKalb County ZIP codes who have been fully vaccinated as of Feb. 9. This data is provisional and will be updated every Wednesday, according to the IDPH.

• 60111 (includes Clare) ZIP code, 96.67% of the population is fully vaccinated (100% of residents have had at least one dose)

• 60112 (Cortland) ZIP code, 62.37% is fully vaccinated

• 60115 (DeKalb) ZIP code, 49.46% is fully vaccinated

• 60135 (Genoa), 61.44% is fully vaccinated

• 60145 (Kingston), 45.23% is fully vaccinated

• 60146 (Kirkland, Fairdale), 45.42% is fully vaccinated

• 60150 (Malta), 52.9% is fully vaccinated

• 60151 (Maple Park), 57.28% is fully vaccinated

• 60178 (Sycamore), 65.39% is fully vaccinated

• 60520 (Hinckley), 54.66% is fully vaccinated

• 60548 (Sandwich), 53.94% is fully vaccinated

• 60550 (Shabbona), 48.42% is fully vaccinated

• 60552 (Somonauk), 51.67% is fully vaccinated

• 60556 (Waterman), 52.14% is fully vaccinated

Congregate care settings

The total care centers in in outbreak mode is nine, according to the DeKalb County Health Department. Some facilities’ vaccination data isn’t publicly available.

As of Feb. 14:

• Lincolnshire Place in Sycamore reports 21 cases, 15 in staff and five in residents. One person has died from the facility.

• Oak Crest DeKalb Area Retirement Center in DeKalb reports 55 cases: 48 employees and seven residents. According to the IDPH, 97.57% of Oak Crest employees are fully vaccinated, along with 100% of residents, as of Jan. 14.

• Prairie Crossing Rehabilitation in Shabbona reports 42 cases: 25 employees and 17 residents. 67.69% of employees are vaccinated, and 97.96% of residents.

• DeKalb County Rehab and Nursing Center in DeKalb reports 50 cases: 46 employees and four residents, and two deaths. 78.82% of its employees are fully vaccinated, and 93.33% of residents.

• Heritage Woods in DeKalb reports 14 cases: five in residents and nine employee.

• Bethany Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in DeKalb reports 37 cases: 21 employees and 16 residents and three deaths. 90.24% of employees are fully vaccinated, and 81.33% of residents.

• Willow Crest Nursing Pavilion in Sandwich reports 75 cases: 24 staff members, 51 residents, and seven resident deaths. 82.91% of staff are fully vaccinated, and 84.72% of residents.

• Sandwich Rehabilitation and Health Care Center reports eight cases: eight staff members.

• Aperion Care in DeKalb reports 39 cases: 25 staff members, 14 residents.

The state considers a facility in outbreak mode if new virus activity is reportedly linked to the facility within 30 days. If the facility goes 30 days without reporting new activity, it will be taken off the health department’s outbreak website, health officials have said.

The state does not update long-term care facility numbers if a person has fully recovered. The numbers remain listed in total through the duration of the outbreak.

Cases, deaths in DeKalb County

The following is a breakdown of cases and deaths from COVID-19, according to the DeKalb County Health Department, updated on Fridays:

As of Feb. 7, there have been 5,465 cases in residents age 19 or younger, 4,805 in their 20s, 3,428 in their 30s, 2,869 in their 40s, 2,578 in their 50s, 1,690 in their 60s, 840 in their 70s and 652 in their 80s or older.

Out of the 183 total deaths have been reported in DeKalb County by local health officials as of Feb. 7, 95 were in residents in their 80s or older, 28 were in their 70s, 33 in their 60s, 18 in their 50s, five in their 40s, two in their 30s, one in their 20s and one infant.

Neither state nor local data specifies how many cases are linked to COVID-19 variants.