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114 of 202 individuals have recovered in La Salle Vets Home cases, officials said

41 residents cases remain active

The Illinois Veterans Home in La Salle reported Thursday that 114 individuals of the 202 with COVID-19 have been removed from isolation.

Of those 202 cases, 106 of the cases are in residents; 38 of those residents have been removed from isolation, and 27 have died from complications related to COVID-19, meaning 41 cases remain active at the facility, according to information shared Thursday by Administrator Angela Mehlbrech.

Mehlbrech said there were two new cases at the facility between Tuesday and Thursday in a resident and a staff member.

Mehlbrech explained the process for “compassionate care visits” as defined in the Illinois Department of Public Health’s guidelines.

“Residents who are positive for COVID-19 run the risk of a rapid change in condition. We do not want to risk that the family can’t say goodbye,” Mehlbrech said in a letter. “These are singular visits, which have been conducted in the same manner for compassionate care visits throughout the pandemic – one person at a time.”

Mehlbrech said the visitor arrives at the vestibule in front of the building (between the two double doors) and buzzes for security. The visitor then completes a visitor monitoring form, and security takes their temperature. All personal protective equipment is available there for the visitor, and a nurse assists the visitor in putting it on correctly. The visitor is escorted by a nurse directly to their loved one and out of the building at the end of the visit. The visitor is not allowed anywhere else in the building, she said.

The veterans home also offers virtual visits scheduled through the facility’s activities department.

Following a hearing Tuesday of the Senate’s Veterans Affairs Committee, an independent investigation has been ordered to examine the circumstances surrounding the outbreak at the La Salle home. This investigation is expected to take four to six months.

Derek Barichello

Derek Barichello

Derek Barichello is the news editor for The Times in Ottawa and NewsTribune in La Salle, part of Shaw Local News Network, covering La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties. He covers local and breaking news in the areas of government, education, business and crime and courts, among others.