LEE COUNTY — The Lee County Health Department is saddened to report 12 additional deaths in the county after confirming COVID as the cause. Age breakdown is as follows: 1 male in his 60s, 3 males in their 70s, 4 female and 2 male in their 80s, and 2 females in their 90s. This brings the total number of deaths in Lee County to 32.

The health department also reported 27 cases were from congregate living facilities - 7 are from Liberty Court, 4 Franklin Grove Living & Rehab and 16 Dixon Correctional Center.

Between Dec. 1-7, the Lee County Health Department has reported a total of 167 new cases have been reported, including the case listed above, and here are the ages that were announced: 10 under the age of 12, 14 in his or her teens, 27 in his or her 20s, 11 in his or her 30s, 20 in his or her 40s, 24 in his or her 50s, 18 in his or her 60s, 7 in his or her 70s, 4 in his or her 80s, and 1 on his or her 90s. 

This brings the total number of cases to 2,066 as of Dec. 7. Of the 2,066 cases, 1,276 have recovered. They also reported as of Dec. 7, 22 residents have been hospitalized.

Mobile Testing

The Lee County Health Department announced the State of Illinois is hosting a community drive-through test site on Sunday, Dec. 13, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., at the Elks Lodge, 1279 Franklin Grove Road, Dixon. 

Simple nasal swabs will be used, and you will be called from 888-297-7208 with results within 4-7 days. Please answer when called. Please do not contact the Elks Lodge or the Lee County Health Department for test results.

There is no cost for the testing. Bring your insurance card, but you can still be tested even if you don’t have insurance. Anyone can get tested. You don’t have to have symptoms or be sick.

The Unified Command Team would like to remind our community that COVID-19 remains in our area and continues to be a real threat. Some people who have tested positive have had no symptoms or mild symptoms. Others have felt miserable or even been hospitalized.  Although there are individuals considered at a higher risk for complications due to COVID-19, some otherwise healthy people have also become very sick.  The more the virus spreads & the more cases we have locally, the risk of very ill or hospitalized individuals increases.

Please, for yourself and others, follow the state and federal recommendations.  It’s easy to remember as the 3 W’s:  Wash your hands; Watch your distance; and Wear your mask. 

Also, we’d like to mention the process of contact tracing. If your local health department tries to contact you, please answer or return their call. Some people may feel distrustful or afraid of the term “contact tracing.” This is actually a strategy used for many years in public health to reduce the spread of infectious disease. Contact tracing is a critical piece of our mitigation efforts against COVID-19. More information can be found at this link:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html 

What to do if you think you have or have been exposed to COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals with symptoms SHOULD NOT GO to health care facilities such as hospitals, clinics, and urgent care centers without CALLING FIRST. Instead, they can seek care by using one of the following options:

Testing:

Anyone with COVID-19 like symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, chills, sudden loss of taste and or smell and fever) OR who have a risk factor, such as contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19, a compromised immune system or a serious chronic medical condition can get a test, even without a doctor’s order. 

Call the KSB Hotline Monday-Friday, 9-5 at 285-7777 to determine eligibility for testing.

Residents can go to the following websites for additional information:

Go to KSB, LCHD, IDPH, or CDC websites.  Lee County Health Department provides regular updates on its Facebook page.

• https://www.ksbhospital.com/coronavirus-outbreak-covid-19/

• http://www.lchd.com 

• Facebook: Lee County IL Health Department