After a sixth straight week where more than 100 Southland residents are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, there are now more than 700 south and southwest suburban residents who have died from the virus, according to a Southtown analysis of county data.
At least 482 people in South Cook County and 232 people in Will County have died of complications from the virus since March 19, according to data from the Cook County medical examiner’s office and Will County public health officials.
The South Cook County patients who died — 250 men and 232 women — hailed from 53 different communities and range in age from a 19-year-old Riverdale man to a 108-year-old Evergreen Park nursing home resident.
The vast majority were elderly and many were residents of long-term care facilities.
More than 55% of the South Cook patients who died were at least 75 years old and more than 82% were at least 65 years old, according to data from the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Only 8 of the 326 people who have died of COVID-19 in South Cook County were under 40.
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Sixty-four lived in Oak Lawn; 27 lived in Chicago Ridge; 24 lived in Country Club Hills; 23 each resided in Bridgeview and Chicago Heights; 22 each lived in Homewood and Orland Park; 20 each in South Holland and Palos Heights; 19 lived in Matteson; 16 each in Harvey and Burbank; 15 in Hazel Crest; 13 in Park Forest; 11 in Evergreen Park; 10 in Markham; nine each lived in Blue Island and Richton Park; eight lived in Palos Hills; seven each in Dolton, Flossmoor and Tinley Park; six lived in Crestwood; five each in Lemont and Oak Forest; four each lived in Riverdale, Lansing, Midlothian, Frankfort, Calumet City and Calumet Park; three each lived in Robbins, East Hazel Crest, Palos Park, Steger, Justice and University Park; two each lived in Alsip, Hickory Hills, Glenwood, Hometown, Sauk Village, Orland Hills, Olympia Fields and Thornton; and a single resident each lived in Burnham, Merrionette Park and Worth.
Four Crete residents, one Peotone resident, one Monee resident, one New Lenox resident and one Beecher resident who died at hospitals in Cook County are counted among the Cook County deaths even though they lived in Will County.
Five others had been staying at nursing homes in the South Cook suburbs, but were residents of Chicago, according to the medical examiner’s office.
In total, long-term care facilities accounted for at least 287 South Cook County COVID-19 deaths and at least 111 Will County COVID-19 deaths, or more than 55% of all Southland deaths from the virus, according to an analysis of Illinois Department of Public Health and Cook County medical examiner’s office data.
At least one resident at 65 south and southwest long-term care facilities has died of COVID-19, and 51 long-term care facilities have had multiple residents die, according to data provided by state public health department and the medical examiner’s office.
Five residents of group homes for adults with disabilities also have died of COVID-19 complications.
Will County releases the number of people who have died of COVID-19, but does not disclose geographic information about them. Of the 232 who have died in Will County, 115 were men and 117 were women. They ranged in age from a teenage female to two women in their 100s, according to Will County health officials.
Twitter @ZakKoeske