CHICAGO – The registered number of residents of Illinois nursing homes with COVID-19 has died in the past several weeks as long-term caregivers try to be vigilant until they get vaccinated against the virus.
Chris Sveda / Chicago Tribune / Chicago Tribune / TNS
JB Pritzker takes off his mask to speak on December 1, 2020 while giving a coronavirus update from the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago, Chicago.
The unprecedented 6,055 deaths in the past seven days have been attributed to COVID-19, state figures showed on Friday – two weeks higher than the previous high of 40.
The number of new infections reported in the state’s long-term care facilities also reported 5,063 new cases, surpassing the previous high of 4,536 two weeks ago.
This second outbreak of the virus has again surpassed the worst trends of the first wave of cases and deaths in spring. Tolls dropped significantly in the summer but have risen again since November following a massive population increase.
An encouraging sign is that there has been a slight decline in the number of cases and deaths across the state in recent weeks. Researchers have reported that nursing home deaths generally follow broader community trends, as workers compress the virus and bring it into homes.
The Health Care Council of Illinois, which represents long-term care facilities, issued a statement expecting a “turning point” on December 28 when vaccinations in nursing homes begin.
“Until then and even after the expected day of that day, nursing homes will urge their neighbors to practice infection control measures in the community, as our medically fragile seniors are very susceptible to this horrible disease.” “Nursing home staff will continue to do everything possible to keep their residents safe for the safety of their patients, but we cannot do it alone.”
AARP officials were outraged by the renewed deaths of elderly nursing home residents, who usually die due to state restrictions on visitors without the company of family or friends.
“No state is doing enough to keep residents and staff of nursing homes safe, and the number of tragic deaths in Illinois demonstrates this,” Bob Gallo, director of the AARP Illinois State, said in a recent statement.
Gallo urged state and federal officials to take immediate action to save lives, saying long-term care officers should be better prepared after nine months of the epidemic.
“Nursing homes should also be fully open and transparent with family members and caregivers and go out of their way to keep them informed and connect with their loved ones,” Gallo said. “Those connections with the family are a lifetime of residential well-being.”
On Friday, the state recorded 111 new deaths involving Kovid-19 and 37777 new cases, while the percentage of coronavirus tests dropped to the lowest level since October.
Asked earlier what the state could do to curb the onslaught in long-term care, government J.B. Pritzker cited restrictions on visitors, infection control and further testing. For their part, nursing home officials have repeatedly demanded financial assistance, protective equipment and more government help for testing.
Nursing home advocates say death is the latest symptom of a systemic problem, with many nursing homes, especially in Illinois, suffering from poor infection control and understaffing.
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