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Pine Acres Reports 79 COVID-19 Cases And 10 Associated Deaths

Photo from Dekalb County Health Department Website

The DeKalb County Health Department said they are working with Pine Acres Rehab and Living Center, the site of the county's largest outbreak of COVID-19, to contain its spread.

Lisa Gonzalez is the public health administrator for the health department. She said practicing social distancing, wearing a face covering, and practicing good hand hygiene are essential, but understands these tactics may be challenging in the summer.

"As with warmer weather, people naturally want to get together and enjoy, and wearing a mask in the warmer weather is somewhat uncomfortable," she said. "But it's critical that we continue to take these mitigation strategies seriously so that we can hopefully prevent an additional surge of cases."

As of Friday, Pine Acres had reported 79 total cases among staff and residents and 10 deaths associated with COVID-19 complications. 

If you have been around a large crowd, whether it's a group of protesters or a family barbecue, Gonzalez recommends getting tested for COVID-19.

"The State announced this week that the state-run testing sites are now open for anyone, regardless of symptoms," she said. "And the ones that are closest to us here in DeKalb County would be the Aurora site at the outlet mall and the Rockford site at the UIC College of Medicine."

Though it may be difficult to resist socializing when the days are long and the temperatures are warm, Gonzalez said that social distancing, mask wearing, and hand washing make a difference. 

"We know it's not easy," she said. "We're all making sacrifices at some level." But she emphasized that if the public follows these measures, "We think we can continue to see a decline in the number of cases and the number of deaths."

She added, "We do not want to see a second round of this."