44 new COVID-19 cases in DeKalb County, five more in long-term care facilities

A City of DeKalb firefighter receives an injection of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from DeKalb County Health Department public health nurse Alex Diehl Thursday in DeKalb.

SYCAMORE – Health officials on Thursday announced 44 new cases of COVID-19 including three more at DeKalb County Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, according to the DeKalb County Health Department

The three cases at DeKalb Rehab puts it at 110 cases, the most of any facility in the county, followed closely by Bethany Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, with 109 cases. Oak Crest-DeKalb Area Retirement Center reported two new cases.

There now have been 7,706 cases and 89 deaths to date.

MunicipalityCasesTestsPositivity Rate
DeKalb3,19444,8367.12%
Sycamore1,59016,9899.36%
Maple Park266265810.01%
Sandwich1,04810,40110.08%

Among the new cases Thursday, six were in residents under 20, 13 were in their 20s, one was in their 30s, nine in their 40s, four in their 50s, six in their 60s and two in their 70s.

According to state data, 3,569 doses of the vaccine have been administered to DeKalb County residents either in the county or at another location, and 538 residents have been fully vaccinated as of Thursday.

The seven-day rolling positivity rate in the county shot up to 10.4%, the second-highest in the region behind only Boone (10.5%). The positivity rate for Region 1, which includes DeKalb County, Winnebago and west to Whiteside, dropped to 6.3%.

By the numbers

There currently are seven long-term care facilities in outbreak mode in DeKalb County.

DeKalb County Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in DeKalb has reported 110 cases (61 staff and 49 residents), Oak Crest-DeKalb Area Retirement Center in DeKalb has reported 60 cases (29 staff and 31 residents with one death) and Bethany Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in DeKalb has reported 109 cases (46 staff and 63 residents with 10 deaths). Prairie Crossing Living and Rehabilitation Center in Shabbona has reported 88 cases (34 staff and 54 residents with eight deaths). Lincolnshire Place in Sycamore has reported 47 cases (17 staff and 30 residents with eight deaths), and Willow Crest Nursing Pavilion in Sandwich has reported eight cases (five employees and three residents). Pine Acres in DeKalb has 10 cases (five staff and five residents).

Some facilities are not designated long-term care by the county but are by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Opportunity House in Sycamore reported four new cases, with 36 cases on the state website during the facility’s second documented outbreak, while Avancer Home in Genoa had 13 cases and one death as of Jan. 15, the same as the week prior.

There have been 1,260 cases in DeKalb County residents 19 or younger, 1,802 in their 20s, 1,148 in their 30s, 1,094 in their 40s, 986 in their 50s, 672 in their 60s, 387 in their 70s and 357 in their 80s or older.

There have been 50 deaths reported in DeKalb County residents in their 80s or older, 15 in their 70s, 13 in their 60s, six in their 50s, three in their 40s, one in their 30s and one infant.

According to county data, DeKalb has seen between 3,281 and 3,285 cases. There are between 1,581 and 1,585 cases in Sycamore; 691 and 695 in Sandwich and Plano (listed as one region on the site); 636 and 640 in Genoa; 341 and 345 cases in Cortland; 196 and 200 cases in Kirkland; 186 and 190 Hinckley; 176 and 180 in Kingston; 146 and 150 cases in Somonauk; 101 and 105 in Shabbona; 96 to 100 in Waterman; 91 and 95 in Malta; 56 and 60 in Maple Park; 16 and 20 in Clare; 11 and 15 in Earlville and Esmond; and six and 10 in Lee and Leland. Marengo and Rochelle each report between one and five cases.

The DeKalb County website only lists residents who live within county lines for a municipality, while the IDPH website lists everyone within a certain ZIP code. Numbers also may vary because of data lags.

The 60115 ZIP code, including DeKalb, had 3,194 cases reported and 44,836 tests administered (a positivity rate of 7.1%); the 60178 ZIP code, including Sycamore, had 1,590 cases and 16,989 tests (9.4%); the 60111 ZIP code, including Clare, reported 19 cases and 183 tests (10.4%); the 60112 ZIP code, including Cortland, had 333 cases and 3,418 tests (9.7%); the 60135 ZIP code, including Genoa, had 630 cases and 5,181 tests (12.2%); the 60145 ZIP code, including Kingston, had 171 cases and 1,408 tests (12.1%); the 60146 ZIP code, including Kirkland, had 216 cases and 1,870 tests (11.6%); the 60150 ZIP code, including Malta, had 87 cases and 1,140 tests (7.6%); the 60151 ZIP code, including parts of Maple Park in both DeKalb and Kane counties, had 266 cases and 2,658 tests (10%); the 60520 ZIP code, including Hinckley, had 185 cases and 1,922 tests (9.7%); the 60548 ZIP code, including Sandwich, had 1,048 cases and 10,401 tests (10.1%); the 60550 ZIP code, including Shabbona, had 111 cases and 1,111 tests (10%); and the 60556 ZIP code, including Waterman, had 94 cases and 1,046 tests (9%).

The IDPH reported 1,086,333 people in Illinois have tested positive for COVID-19, while 18,520 people have died statewide. There have been 15,083,685 tests performed.

As of Jan. 15, the total number of recoveries in DeKalb County rose to 6,486. There have been 88,716 total tests run in the county and there remain 896 active cases.

The region recently hit Tier 1 mitigations, reopening limited indoor dining and other recreational facilities, along with allowing some youth sports. With one more day under 6.5% rolling positivity, the region will enter into Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan, meaning loosening capacity limits on indoor dining and other areas.

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