COVID Outbreak Hits IL Veterans Home Where 36 People Died From Virus

LASALLE, IL — Nearly 70 people at a state-run veterans home have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks nearly two years after 36 people at the facility died from the virus.

Officials from the Illinois Veterans Home in LaSalle on Monday confirmed that 23 staff members and 42 residents have tested positive for COVID-19, the Department of Veterans Affairs said in a news release.

All of those who have tested positive have been moved to an isolation area of the facility and are being closely monitored. None of those who have tested positive have been hospitalized and are experiencing cold-like symptoms, the agency said.

The agency said that since the outbreak began earlier this month, officials from the Illinois Department of Public Health and IDVA Director Terry Prince have been at the facility to offer advice and assistance.

All of the residents are vaccinated, officials said, and COVID-19 therapies have been administered as needed, the agency said. All of the staff have either been vaccinated or have exemptions that have been approved by veterans administration officials, the agency said Monday.

“Our top priority is the health and safety of our military veterans and the heroic staff who care for them,” Prince said in a statement released on Monday. “We take this very seriously.”

Prince said that the agency is following guidelines established by local health officials, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, and state health officials.

The Illinois Department of Public Health was notified of the first case at the facility on Oct. 15 and the Chicago Tribune reported that this is the third COVID-19 outbreak among the state's five veterans homes since June.

IDPH spokesperson Michael Claffey said in an email to Patch on Monday afternoon that the rapid and early identification and consequent treatment of the residents with Covid-19 and the intensive mitigation measures implemented have already resulted in a timely slowing down in the identification of new cases daily.

The steps followed by officials at the veterans home include regular health monitoring of residents, COVID-19 testing of staff at each shift change, and the use of N-95 masks with protective face shields as well as social distancing. The agency said that the dining area of the facility has been closed until the outbreak is ended and that social activities are continuing while adhering to social distancing guidelines.

The outbreak took place at the same facility where 36 people died from COVID-19 in 2020, which led to a lawsuit in which 27 families sued the state over the deaths.