Community Corner
2 Deaths, 10 Cases Of Coronavirus At The Cottages
Eight of the 10 cases reported at the facility have been staff members; however, the two deaths were both residents at the facility.
NEW LENOX, IL — The Cottages of New Lenox has had 10 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 two deaths and nine cases as of May 1.
Last week, the facility told Patch it had nine cases and two related deaths, so there has been an increase of one case over the past week.
Two of the 10 cases reported at the facility were residents, and both residents have died.
Find out what's happening in New Lenoxfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"We are truly saddened by the loss of these residents and the families impacted," Tole told Patch previously. "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."
Eight of the 10 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.
Find out what's happening in New Lenoxfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"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 previously. "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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Infection control protocols have been in place for months at the facility 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.
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 468 cases of coronavirus in long-term care facilities and 84 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.
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