KANKAKEE – Shaprio Developmental Center is the site of another outbreak of COVID-19.
Monday the Illinois Department of Public Health verified reports of 70 cases of the virus at the Kankakee facility which has slowly increased in recent weeks. Those cases stretch back at the facility over the past 28 days. Earlier this year Shapiro had over 230 cases of the virus reported at the center that ended up seeing the National Guard come into support the center’s mitigation operations.
Meanwhile, Kankakee County Health Department officials are catching their breath in adding up weekend activities. Since Friday afternoon, 474 new cases have been confirmed locally as Kankakee is now at 7,924 confirmed cases in the pandemic. Kankakee, averaging over 100 cases per day, is expected to break the 8,000 count Tuesday.
The information comes as Kankakee Health officials reported six additional deaths Monday. There have now been over 100 deaths in the pandemic locally, currently standing at 101 dead with 94 residents now hospitalized.
Kankakee has now doubled all cases of the pandemic in less than a month. A total of 4,155 new cases have been reported in Kankakee since October 30th, when only 3,769 cases had been confirmed in the County. The area climbed back into the Top 5 Monday on a New York Times chart for ‘Where the Outbreak is Worst Now’ currently ranking #4 in the Nation.
