Illinois follows New York's pattern
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Coronavirus deaths double in one week at Illinois nursing homes
The number of reported coronavirus deaths at Illinois nursing homes nearly doubled in the past week and for the first time surpassed 1,000, as new cases and deaths blew by their previous one-week highs, according to data released Friday by state health officials.
But the numbers, published weekly, have inconsistencies from week to week and, because of lags in reporting, appear to be lower than the real-time toll the virus is taking on those facilities.
In all, 3,229 new cases were reported this week along with 456 new deaths, according to a count by the Chicago Sun-Times. That brings state nursing home cases to 7,527 and deaths to 1,081. Last week, the state saw one-week increases of 2,438 cases and 339 deaths.
Those tallies mean elderly care facilities have accounted for 44% of the state’s coronavirus deaths and nearly one in seven confirmed cases.
A total of 354 homes have at least one resident who has tested positive, with 75 reporting their first cases in the past week after previously having none. Almost three dozen facilities have suffered double-digit deaths; eight have more than 100 cases.
Cook County has seen more than half the state’s nursing home deaths, 603, and cases, 3,992.
