Nearly 250 more coronavirus cases reported in DeKalb County as ICU beds remain sparse

DeKALB – On Thursday, Intensive Care Unit bed availability continued to drop back down to single digits to eight beds, according to state data, in the region which includes DeKalb County.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, there are 141 ICU beds available in Region 1, which runs north to the Wisconsin border and west to the Iowa border. ICU bed availability has dwindled as the omicron COVID-19 variant surges, on some days leaving as few as four beds available in the region.

There also were 248 new COVID-19 cases reported in DeKalb County and one new death as of Thursday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The total cases in the county rose to 18,986 with 161 deaths.

There were 200 more boosters administered to DeKalb County residents and 52 more became fully vaccinated, according to IDPH.

Hospitalizations and positivity rate

DeKalb County continues to report a high community transmission of the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Thursday, the county reported about 1,700 cases per 100,000 residents and 47 new hospital admissions. According to the CDC, everyone in DeKalb County should wear masks in public indoor settings.

The seven-day average rolling positivity rate for Region 1, which runs north to Rockford and west to the Iowa border, is 21.8%. The DeKalb County positivity rate is at 23.8%. Positivity rates are reported with a three-day data lag. Region 1 also reported a seven-day average of 319 COVID-19 patients hospitalized.

According to the IDPH, 136,379 total vaccine doses have been administered to DeKalb County residents and 55,350 residents – or 55.1% of the county’s population of 100,420, according to 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data – have been fully vaccinated. As of Thursday, 23,943 booster shoots have been administered to county residents. The seven-day rolling average of doses administered to county residents is 362.

As of Thursday, 299,704 tests have been run on DeKalb County residents.

Congregate care settings (updated every Friday)

Eight long-term care facilities within DeKalb County remain in COVID-19 virus outbreak mode, according to the DeKalb County Health Department. Some facilities’ vaccination data isn’t publicly available.

As of Jan. 7:

• Lincolnshire Place in Sycamore reports 12 cases, 10 in staff and two in residents.

• Oak Crest DeKalb Area Retirement Center in DeKalb reports 29 cases: 27 employees and two residents. According to the IDPH, 97.57% of Oak Crest employees are fully vaccinated, along with 100% of residents, as of Jan. 7.

• Prairie Crossing Rehabilitation in Shabbona reports five cases: Two employees and three residents. 67.69% of employees are vaccinated, and 97.96% of residents.

• Grand Victorian in Sycamore reports 12 cases: 10 residents and two employees.

• DeKalb County Rehab and Nursing Center in DeKalb reports 31 cases: 28 employees and three residents, and one death. 78.82% of its employees are fully vaccinated, and 93.33% of residents.

• Heritage Woods in DeKalb reports 6 cases: five in residents and one employee.

• Bethany Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in DeKalb reports 34 cases: 19 employees and 15 residents. 90.24% of employees are fully vaccinated, and 81.33% of residents.

• Willow Crest Nursing Pavilion in Sandwich reports 60 cases: 16 staff members, 44 residents, and six resident deaths. 82.91% of staff are fully vaccinated, and 84.72% of 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.

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 Jan. 12. This data is provisional and will be updated every Wednesday, according to the IDPH.

• 60111 (includes Clare) ZIP code, 98.67% of the population is fully vaccinated (100% of residents have had at least one dose)

• 60112 (Cortland) ZIP code, 59.89% is fully vaccinated

• 60115 (DeKalb) ZIP code, 48.16% is fully vaccinated

• 60135 (Genoa), 59.79% is fully vaccinated

• 60145 (Kingston), 44.11% is fully vaccinated

• 60146 (Kirkland, Fairdale), 43.8% is fully vaccinated

• 60150 (Malta), 51.36% is fully vaccinated

• 60151 (Maple Park), 56.36% is fully vaccinated

• 60178 (Sycamore), 63.82% is fully vaccinated

• 60520 (Hinckley), 54.31% is fully vaccinated

• 60548 (Sandwich), 52.85% is fully vaccinated

• 60550 (Shabbona), 47.46% is fully vaccinated

• 60552 (Somonauk), 50.44% is fully vaccinated

• 60556 (Waterman), 50.57% is fully vaccinated

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 Jan. 7, there have been 4,080 cases in residents age 19 or younger, 3,998 in their 20s, 2,792 in their 30s, 2,331 in their 40s, 2,110 in their 50s, 1,415 in their 60s, 714 in their 70s and 573 in their 80s or older.

Out of the 160 total deaths have been reported in DeKalb County by local health officials as of Jan. 7, 84 were in residents in their 80s or older, 25 were in their 70s, 27 in their 60s, 14 in their 50s, four in their 40s, one 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.

The IDPH reported that 2,560,001 Illinoisans have tested positive for COVID-19, while 28,946 have died statewide. The department reported that at least 47,669,193 tests have been administered to date.