About half the staff at some DeKalb County long-term care facilities are vaccinated, new state data shows

Though most DeKalb County long-term care facility residents appear to be vaccinated from COVID-19, new state data shows employee vaccination rates at those facilities is significantly lower.

In some local facilities where the majority of residents received the vaccine, half the employees are vaccinated.

According to newly released data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, as of July 18, an average of about 90.6% county long-term care facility residents and about 68.43% of facility staff are vaccinated from the coronavirus.

The lowest staff vaccination rate is at Pine Acres Rehab and Living Center in DeKalb, the site of the earliest recorded outbreak in the county, which reports 49.51% of its staff have been vaccinated compared to 93.06% of residents. The center recorded 13 deaths in residents last year, and nearly 100 cases among staff and residents.

“Given that [long-term care] facilities have experienced a significant portion of COVID-19 deaths, particularly early in pandemic, this resource will be critical for tracking COVID-19 vaccinations for both staff and residents in facilities across state,” Illinois Department of Public Health officials wrote in a Wednesday news release.

The data release comes months after large COVID-19 outbreaks reportedly swept through Pine Acres, Willow Crest, Bethany Rehabilitation and Prairie Crossing in 2020.

Nursing home deaths account for the majority of the 122 deaths recorded in DeKalb County, according to the DeKalb County Health Department’s COVID-19 database.

Oak Crest DeKalb Area Retirement Center, 2944 Greenwood Acres Drive in DeKalb, had the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate among residents in DeKalb County at 98.78%, according to state data. The lowest resident vaccination rate in the county is Bethany Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, 3298 Resource Parkway in DeKalb, with 82.5%.

Prairie Crossing Living and Rehabilitation Center, 409 W. Comanche Road in Shabbona, had the highest staff vaccination rate in the county at 94.87%, per the state data. Pine Acres Rehab and Living Center, 1212 S. Second St. in DeKalb, had the lowest at 49.51%.

Gov. JB Pritzker also announced during a Wednesday news conference face masks will be required in long term care facilities within the state. He said the mandate is meant to help protect residents and staff from the delta variant, which is the most prominent strain in reported COVID-19 cases in the state.

“I also encourage every Illinoisan who is eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible, as millions of their neighbors already have,” Pritzker said Wednesday. “This vaccine is safe, effective, and essentially eliminates the risk of hospitalization and death even from the delta variant. In short, it’s the best tool we have.”

By the numbers

Bethany Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in DeKalb has a 82.5% COVID-19 vaccination rate among its residents and 74.27% among its staff, according to the state data.

DeKalb County Rehab and Nursing Center, 2600 N. Annie Glidden Road in DeKalb, has a 90.4% COVID-19 vaccination rate among its residents and 83.83% among its staff.

Oak Crest DeKalb Area Retirement Center in DeKalb has a 98.78% COVID-19 vaccination rate among its residents and 76.04% among its staff, according to state data.

Pine Acres Rehab and Living Center in DeKalb has a 93.06% COVID-19 vaccination rate among its residents, although the rate among its staff is 49.51%.

Sandwich Rehab and Health Care Center, 902 E. Arnold St. in Sandwich, has a 91.67% COVID-19 vaccination rate among its residents and 50% among its staff, per the state data. Willow Crest Nursing Pavilion, 515 N. Main St. in Sandwich, has a 85.06% COVID-19 vaccination rate among its residents and 50.47% among its staff.

Prairie Crossing Living and Rehabilitation Center in Shabbona has a 92.75% COVID-19 vaccination rate among its residents and 94.87% among its staff.

According to the Wednesday news release, the state data comes from federal COVID-19 nursing home data. Nursing homes are required to report vaccinations of residents and staff to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, health officials wrote.

The state long-term care facility data is provisional, the website says, and some data differs from local accounting. For instance, Willow Crest Nursing Pavilion in Sandwich recorded the deadliest COVID-19 outbreak in DeKalb County last year, with 14 deaths. The state data released Tuesday lists only three deaths.

“While local health departments and [long-term care] facilities continue to have the most up-to-date data, the information on the IDPH site is provisional and will be updated on a weekly basis,” state health officials wrote.