2 Deaths, 9 Confirmed Cases Of Coronavirus At The Cottages

NEW LENOX, IL — The Cottages of New Lenox has had nine positive cases of the coronavirus and two related deaths, Executive Director Alda Tole told Patch Monday. These numbers differ from the numbers listed on the Illinois Department of Public Health's website, which is showing the facility has one death and 12 cases.

The facility said it working with the local health department to make sure it has the most accurate information.

Two of the nine cases reported at the facility were residents, and both residents have died.

"We are truly saddened by the loss of these residents and the families impacted," Tole said. "Residents become like family to us and this loss impacts all of our hard working healthcare heroes who cared for them during their time at The Cottages."

Seven of the nine cases reported at the facility have been staff members, Tole said. The staff members were not allowed to return to work for at least 14 days and showing no signs of symptoms.

Four employees who had tested positive are now back to work.

"In addition, we have recently implemented an even more stringent protocol that will require all employees to be retested again before returning to work," Tole said. "We currently have the ability to test residents and staff and will be retesting any employees in the future who may test positive."

IDPH is now sharing the case numbers of residents and staff of long-term care facilities. The data is reported starting from the beginning of the coronavirus response on Jan. 24. Numbers are current as of April 24.

The cases included in the data include lab confirmed cases and cases meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outbreak case definition. Facilities report the data to local health departments, who then report to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Some facilities have reported a discrepancy in the numbers the IDPH is reporting.

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Tole said infection control protocols have been in place for months and this includes limiting visitors to essential visitors only; monitoring the temperature and oxygen levels of all residents; monitoring the temperature of employees at the start and end of each shift; and increasing cleaning and sanitizing.

"Despite all our efforts we unfortunately had positive cases. We would like to thank the families who have been so supportive to all of our staff and the residents," Tole said. "We have had donations of PPE, meals provided to our staff and many other kind gestures during this unprecedented time. We continue to work closely with our state licensing agency and the local state and local health department and following any additional recommended guidelines and protocols."

The Cottages of New Lenox, 1023 S. Cedar Road, is one of several Charter Senior Living, LLC facilities. Charter Senior Living operates facilities in Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Georgia, Maryland and Ohio. Its other Illinois facilities are Charter Senior Living of Glen Ellyn, Charter Senior Living of Orland Park, Charter Senior Living of Poplar Creek, The Cottages of Fox Lake and Charter Senior Living of Vernon Hills.

In Will County, IDPH is reporting there are 327 cases of coronavirus in long-term care facilities and 57 related deaths. Symphony of Joliet has the highest amount of confirmed cases, as well as the highest number of coronavirus related deaths in Will County.

Read more:

• Illinois Coronavirus Update April 27: 43,903 Cases; 1,933 Deaths
• Latest Coronavirus Updates: 52 Confirmed Cases In New Lenox Area