Health officials reported five new coronavirus-related deaths and over 100 new cases in Lake County within the past day as well as cases at least 19 long-term care facilities.
The Lake County Health Department reported 106 new cases of coronavirus in Lake County and five new deaths since Monday. This brings the total number of cases in the county to 925, including 22 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon.
The five newest deaths include a man in his 50s and a woman in her 70s, both who had no known underlying conditions, according to Chris Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County Joint Information Center. Officials are still investigating whether they had underlying conditions, Covelli added.
The other three deaths include a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 80s and a woman in her 90s. All three had underlying health conditions.
The health department is investigating 19 long-term care facilities in the county that have two or more positive cases. These 19 facilities have a combined total of 135 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Lake County has released a Coronavirus Data Hub to centralize data related to COVID-19 in Lake County.
The hub includes the number of cases and deaths in Lake County and in the State of Illinois, an interactive map of cases by municipality, demographic breakdowns of cases, and charts showing trends in cases and deaths over time.
An additional dashboard includes Lake County census data, including population and business information, poverty and language levels, and data highlighting the county’s at-risk population. The dashboard can be found on the county’s website.
“This data hub is an excellent tool to share information with our community about cases of COVID-19 in Lake County. However, our data does not reflect the greater number of residents who are likely infected and have not been tested,” Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister said.
“This is why we continue to reiterate the importance of staying home unless it is absolutely necessary to go out. By following social distancing guidelines and improving our hand hygiene and cough etiquette habits, we will continue to slow the spread of this disease and protect countless lives,” Pfister added.
The Public Health Emergency Operations Center has received reports of food insecurity in some areas of the county due to food bank volunteer shortages and increased community need, officials said.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) said the state’s COVID-19 total has reached 13,549 cases and 380 deaths. The number of people tested so far is at 68,732, data shows.
IDPH Director Ngozi Ezike said that a second survey was recently sent out to patients who tested positive for coronavirus in Illinois. Among the respondents, 43% of the cases said they have recovered.