DeKalb County averaging nearly 250 coronavirus cases per day since Monday as regional hospitals fill

DeKALB – DeKalb County has averaged nearly 250 coronavirus cases per day since Monday, according to state data which doesn’t include cases not yet reported by backlogged laboratories or at-home tests.

On Friday, 207 more cases were reported as regional Intensive Care Unit (ICU) bed availability fell to seven, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. No new deaths were reported. That brings the total cases in the county to 19,193, while the death toll remained at 161. Since Monday, there have been 1,144 cases recorded in the county.

Regional hospitals continue to struggle amid the current viral surge. On Friday, Gov. JB Pritzker announced federal medical surge staffing would be sent to Rockford-area hospitals, overwhelmed past capacity with patients. The surge staff will go to Mercyhealth Javon Bea Hospital-Riverside in Rockford, to take on overflow from other Rockford hospitals.

Rockford hospitals are in the same health region as DeKalb County. Medical emergencies often get flown from DeKalb County to OSF Saint Anthony’s in Rockford.

There were 187 more boosters administered to DeKalb County residents and 47 more became fully vaccinated, according to the 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 Friday, the county reported about 1,582 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 21.5%. The DeKalb County positivity rate is at 22.2%. 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, 136,701 total vaccine doses have been administered to DeKalb County residents and 55,397 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, 24,130 booster shoots have been administered to county residents. The seven-day rolling average of doses administered to county residents is 322.

As of Friday, 301,374 tests have been run on DeKalb County residents.

Congregate care settings (updated every Friday)

Two long-term care facilities began reported virus cases in DeKalb County Friday, bringing the total in outbreak mode to 10. According to the DeKalb County Health Department. Some facilities’ vaccination data isn’t publicly available.

As of Jan. 14:

• Lincolnshire Place in Sycamore reports 15 cases, 11 in staff and four in residents.

• Oak Crest DeKalb Area Retirement Center in DeKalb reports 41 cases: 38 employees and three 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 31 cases: 19 employees and 12 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 41 cases: 38 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 9 cases: two in residents and seven employee.

• Bethany Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in DeKalb reports 35 cases: 20 employees and 15 residents and one death, 90.24% of employees are fully vaccinated, and 81.33% of residents.

• Willow Crest Nursing Pavilion in Sandwich reports 70 cases: 21 staff members, 49 residents, and six resident deaths. 82.91% of staff are fully vaccinated, and 84.72% of residents.

• Sandwich Rehabilitation and Health Care Center reports six cases: six staff members, zero residents.

• Aperion Care in DeKalb reports 13 cases: six staff members, seven 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. 14. 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. 12, there have been 4,458 cases in residents age 19 or younger, 4,185 in their 20s, 2,949 in their 30s, 2,475 in their 40s, 2,272 in their 50s, 1,481 in their 60s, 766 in their 70s and 606 in their 80s or older.

Out of the 161 total deaths have been reported in DeKalb County by local health officials as of Jan. 12, 85 were in residents in their 80s or older, 25 were in their 70s, 27 in their 60s, 15 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.

The IDPH reported that 2,589,640 Illinoisans have tested positive for COVID-19, while 29,099 have died statewide. The department reported that at least 47,949,094 tests have been administered to date.