WEST RIDGE — A coronavirus outbreak at a West Ridge senior living center has infected more than 40 people and caused at least 13 deaths, records show.
Elevate Care Chicago North is working to stem the outbreak after a rash of deaths and confirmed coronavirus cases at its West Ridge facility, 2451 W. Touhy Ave. There have been at least 13 coronavirus-related deaths at the facility, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Three residents of Elevate died on Monday, the latest reported coronavirus deaths at the facility.
There have been at least 42 confirmed cases of coronavirus at Elevate senior living center, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Elevate did not confirm its number of coronavirus cases and deaths, but said in a statement that the facility is taking precautions to protect residents and workers while trying to stem the virus’ spread.
“…We are deeply saddened to confirm that there has been loss of life associated with this unforgiving virus,” the statement reads. “Since the emergence of COVID-19, we have greatly increased preventative measures to protect our residents from communicable diseases.”
Elevate’s coronavirus cluster comes as West Ridge officials are working to stem a local outbreak that is one of the biggest in the state.
In early April, West Ridge’s 60645 had the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases of any ZIP code in the state. Now, the 60645 ZIP code has 468 confirmed cases from 1,332 tests, state records show. That is the fourth highest number of confirmed cases of any ZIP code, with West Lawn’s 60629 having the highest number of confirmed cases, at 515.
The West Ridge outbreak has shocked some members of the community, as the virus has disproportionately impacted certain segments of the diverse neighborhood. West Ridge’s Orthodox Jewish population and its seniors have been particularly hard hit.
Astoria Place Living & Rehab Center, 6300 N. California Ave., has seen at least 12 cases of coronavirus and two deaths, according to the state health agency.
Nursing homes and other long-term senior living centers are in particular struggling with coronavirus outbreaks. One South Side facility has 111 confirmed cases, and is now in the process of testing every resident and employee.
The state is taking steps to mitigate the coronavirus’ impact on senior living centers, including increasing testing at such facilities, Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday.
“These private facilities are home to some of our most vulnerable Illinoisans, and we expect owners and managers responsible for their care to take every action at their disposal to keep them safe,” Pritzker said.
The majority of the coronavirus-related deaths at West Ridge’s Elevate included people with pre-existing conditions, according to medical examiner data. The ages and genders of Elevate residents lost to coronavirus are: a 64-year-old woman, a 72-year-old man, an 82-year-old woman, a 58-year-old woman, an 86-year-old man, a 58-year-old woman, an 80-year-old man, an 87-year-old man, a 67-year-old woman, a 74-year-old woman, an 83-year-old woman, a 70-year-old woman and a 68-year-old woman.
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