La Grange Official Questions Local Virus Data

LA GRANGE, IL — A La Grange official is questioning statistics that show the village's coronavirus situation is considerably worse than neighboring La Grange Park's.

At Monday's Village Board meeting, Trustee Bill Holder told his colleagues that data on the number of coronavirus cases for each town is based on ZIP codes. While the state provides coronavirus case figures by ZIP code, the Cook County Public Health Department gives the number of cases for each town, which Holder did not mention.

As of Tuesday, La Grange had amassed 231 coronavirus cases, compared with La Grange Park's 97, health department figures show. That works out to 15 cases per thousand in La Grange and 7.4 in La Grange Park. Meanwhile, coronavirus-related deaths in La Grange and La Grange Park stand at 13 and 11, respectively, according to the county medical examiner's office. The two towns' populations are roughly similar.

Holder said that when people see the reporting on the number of cases in La Grange, those numbers represent the La Grange-based ZIP code, which includes Countryside, Hodgkins, La Grange Highlands and McCook. He said La Grange's number appeared to be larger because its ZIP code contains a bigger sample size.

"That's really the only reason," he said, advising people not to get "too crazy" about coronavirus data at a local level.

A look at the county health department's coronavirus statistics indicates that authorities are basing their numbers on cases within municipal boundaries. The per capita numbers for each town are based on the populations of towns, not ZIP codes. Patch has been publishing weekly coronavirus stories about La Grange based on the county numbers.

In general, Holder said the disease's spread is accelerating again.

"It is already back and with a vengeance," Holder said. "Please be vigilant. Please be careful. Please wear your masks... Everyone should act as if they have the disease. There is no such thing as herd immunity."

Holder is a member of the hospital foundation board for Amita Adventist Medical Center La Grange.