First Lake County Coronavirus Deaths Reported At Local Hospitals

WAUKEGAN, IL — Two Lake County residents died at local hospitals this week from complications from coronavirus, officials said Friday. The Lake County Health Department announced it had identified 38 new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new strain of coronavirus, bringing the total number of Lake County residents to test positive for the disease to 222 as of Friday afternoon.

"Our hearts are heavy in Lake County today, as we lost two of our residents to this devastating disease," Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family members during this most difficult time."

The first confirmed coronavirus death in the county was a man in his 50s who died Tuesday evening at one of the five hospitals in the county, according to Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper.

Cooper said his office did not receive the results of the man's COVID-19 test until Thursday night. Early Friday morning, the coroner's office learned that a woman in her 90s who tested positive for COVID-19 died at another area hospital, he said.

Both patients had underlying health conditions, according to the health department. County officials are not identifying local COVID-19 victims to protect the privacy of their families.

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The health department has identified 20 cases at five long-term care facilities in the county. Pfister said the increase in cases at facilities housing groups of seniors was "deeply disturbing."

Public health officials previously announced cases at facilities in Lincolnshire and Lake Zurich.

"We are providing guidance to the administration and staff of Lake County's long-term care facilities to assure they take every precaution to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Lives are at stake, and we cannot reiterate enough the importance of social distancing and workers staying home when they are ill."

Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart said county officials would continue to direct its efforts and resources to fight the coronavirus in every possible.

"My heartfelt condolences go out to the families that lost their loved ones this week. COVID-19 has affected every single one of us," Hart said in a news release. "In such a short amount of time, our lives have been turned upside down, but we must stay strong and united as we face this challenge together."

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Cooper said his office had entered the third phase of a pandemic response plan his office created. The forth phase would be managing a surge in bodies.

"That's my background, is mass disasters, so that was one thing that was very important to me," Cooper said. "We've been putting it together we've had exercises with our staff so when this happened, we did have a plan that was ready. Now, obviously every incident, those plans get tweaked because it's based on whatever the situation is."

The coroner's office has a refrigerated trailer on hand because the normal morgue would not have the capacity for a large influx of COVID-19 victims, Cooper said. Staff has also needed to take special precautions, including full protective jumpsuits, N95 face masks, goggles, gloves and other protective equipment.

"COVID can live on the body after death, so we have to make sure we're doing what a lot of other counties are doing," Cooper explained. "The way we're cleaning off the bodies, the way that we're cleaning off the body bags — we're double-bagging those folks."

Cooper said he has split his staff into two groups to reduce the risk of an infection spreading among them. Each works from home for two weeks at a time.

"It's not business as usual," he said. "When we're meeting with families, families also have to be in protective gear as well. We're supplying it, but it's different now. We can't take any chances and we've got to make sure that everybody stays safe."