The Illinois Veterans' Homes in both Anna and Manteno have reported a spike in COVID-19 cases, primarily exhibiting mild symptoms, sweeping through both its veteran population and staff members. According to an official press release from the state of Illinois, the Anna location has tallied up 17 cases among residents and another seven in staff, while the Manteno facility is dealing with 15 resident cases and nine among the staff, a situation that continues to unfold.
With COVID-19 protocols still a necessity, particularly in long-term care facilities, these veterans' homes are adhering strictly to the CDC and Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines, ensuring steps like social distancing, mandatory masks in direct care areas, and stepped-up cleaning efforts are in full swing; this comes as no surprise because, since the pandemic's onset, such institutions have been ground zero for implementing stringent preventive measures, and now with amplified testing they hope to quell this uptick swiftly.
The state's release also disclosed that the IDVA Senior Infection Preventionist is currently at the Manteno Home and plans to extend their knowledge and expertise to the Anna Home the following day, ensuring that both establishments are under the watchful eye of experts catalyzing their response to this recent surge.
In light of these developments, Terry Prince, the IDVA Director, acknowledged the unwavering commitment of the IDVA staff stating, "We are grateful to our dedicated employees who work to safeguard the health of our veteran residents, as they continue to provide veteran-centered care to those we serve," an assurance of the unrelenting dedication to the well-being of those who've served their country and now find themselves facing an all-too-familiar adversary in this resilient virus.
