2 deaths reported at Belleville long-term care centers with coronavirus outbreaks
Two people from Belleville long-term care centers experiencing coronavirus outbreaks have died since Monday afternoon, according to the St. Clair County Health Department.
The health department announced Tuesday afternoon that the individuals who died were from Four Fountains in Belleville and BRIA of Belleville.
Earlier on Tuesday, Four Fountains provided a statement to the Belleville News-Democrat saying a total of 36 people had the COVID-19 respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. It was offering testing to anyone with symptoms, according to the statement.
The health department provides daily updates on the number of people affected by outbreaks at nursing homes and other long-term care centers during 3:30 p.m. live streams by the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency. Health officials include both people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and those who have symptoms.
Here is the latest information on known or suspected COVID-19 patients at those facilities, except for Four Fountains, which stated that its total includes those with positive test results confirming their diagnosis:
- Four Fountains in Belleville - 36 patients, according to Four Fountains (an increase of 11 patients from Monday) and two deaths, according to the health department (an increase of one death from Monday).
- Memorial Care Center in Belleville - 15 patients and one death.
- BRIA of Belleville - 12 patients and two deaths (an increase of one death from Monday).
- Lebanon Care Center - Five patients (an increase of one patient from Monday).
- St. Paul’s Home in Belleville - Five patients.
- Colonnade in O’Fallon - Two patients.
Across the metro-east, there have been a total of 26 deaths related to the outbreaks at long-term care facilities.
In Madison County, 12 residents at Edwardsville Care Center have died, according to information the health department released Friday, April 24.
And nine people from Garden Place Columbia have died, according to a Saturday, April 25, update from the health department. There was no change in the number of Garden Place deaths from Monroe County Health Department updates on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, reiterated Tuesday during state officials’ daily update on COVID-19 that it can be difficult to control the virus’ spread through isolation in “congregate settings” like nursing homes where many people live together.
