CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Coronavirus cases at a DuPage County nursing home show how quickly the virus spreads after one case became nearly two dozen.
As of Tuesday, the Illinois Department of Corrections infectious control team found 22 new positive cases at Chateau Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Willowbrook - 18 of those infected are residents and four are staff members.
"All residents identified as cases are currently isolated at the facility and being monitored closely," said Karen Ayala, Executive Director of the DuPage County Health Department. "All identified staff are home and are also being monitored."
Ayala said each case often comes with an average of 90 people who might have come into contact with them, "so it's a large number of individuals that we'll be reaching out to."
DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin emphasized that everyone must double down and intensify their efforts to adhere to public health guidelines.
"There is more that we can do," Cronin said. "We must double down. We must intensify our efforts to adhere to the public health guidelines.
"Our hearts go out to the residents and staff of the long-term care facility who were diagnosed just in the last day. We are praying for all of those who are ill."
The situation at the Chateau Nursing and Rehabilitation Center reinforces the need to reduce possible exposure, said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike.
As of Tuesday, officials had identified 160 case of COVID-19 in 15 counties.
