Sauk Valley nursing homes, care facilities log 74 new virus cases, 21 more deaths in last week

An additional 74 confirmed coronavirus cases and 21 more COVID-19 related-deaths were linked to nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the Sauk Valley in the last week, updated state data shows, indicating that the virus continues to grip residents and staff in the lead-up to their expected inoculations next week.

As of Dec. 18, the Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting that 161 COVID-19 related deaths and 1,116 confirmed coronavirus cases have been recorded at 28 nursing homes and assisted living facilities across Carroll, Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties since March.

While the figures released Friday mark the third consecutive week of fewer than 100 new cases, they also mark the sixth consecutive week of new deaths in the double-digits.

Solemn on their own, both milestones are especially stark compared to last week’s data, which showed a dramatic decrease in new reported cases and revealed the first time since mid-November that fewer than 20 new deaths at facilities were reported in a single week.

All the data comes as the coronavirus vaccine developed by drug manufacturer Moderna is slated to be administered to long-term care facility residents and workers in Illinois the week of Dec. 28, after it was granted Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday.

The Moderna vaccine was shown to be 94.1% effective after two doses 4 weeks apart. The Moderna vaccine requires less-intense refrigeration levels than the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, which must be stored at ultra-cold temperatures.

State officials have said the distribution and administration of the Moderna vaccine to care facility individuals will be managed by the federal government through contracts with the national drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy.

According to a release Monday from CVS, which has a location in Sterling, it will begin vaccinations Dec. 28 and will be responsible for nearly 900 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities across the state, with the potential for reaching 150,000 people.

“While we are beginning with long-term care facilities, we will eventually provide vaccines to the general public in our 10,000 CVS Pharmacy locations across the country in 2021 with more details to come,” the release said.

Injections will be done by employees hired by the drugstore chains, IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said Wednesday.

Decreased national shipment numbers announced this week by Gov. JB Pritzker might slow that process; the IDPH is waiting for more information, Ezike said.

Of the people to contract the virus in the past week, two were staying or working in Carroll County care centers, 22 were staying or working in Lee County care centers, 30 were staying or working in Ogle County care centers, and 20 were staying or working in Whiteside County care centers.

Of the people living or working at long-term care centers and nursing homes who died from the virus in the last week, 14 were in Lee County, four were in Ogle County and three were in Whiteside County.

Identifying factors such as age and gender are not included in the data, which is updated weekly on the IDPH website.

Of the 28 facilities, 23 facilities have an “open,” or active outbreak, which the IDPH defines as a positive test result in the last 28 days.

No new active outbreaks were reported in the 7 days spanning Dec. 12 and Dec. 18.

While these numbers tell some of the story of how the coronavirus has impacted long-term care facilities, they do not tell the whole story.

Help Sauk Valley Media report on the pandemic across our area. We’re looking for nursing home administrators, workers, residents and family members who are willing to share their experiences with us.

Contact news reporters Timothy Eggert at teggert@saukvalley.com or 815-632-2533, and Jeff Helfrich at jhelfrich@oglecountynews.com or 815-632-2590.