CHICAGO (CBS) — In what could be worst outbreak of its kind in Illinois, COVID-19 has killed 22 residents of a nursing home in Joliet. A staff member at Symphony of Joliet has also died, according to a spokeswoman.

The nursing home, part of a chain in Illinois and Indiana, is located at 306 N Larkin Ave. Spokeswoman Lauryn Allison said Symphony operates 26 nursing homes in the two states. She said that before the COVID-19 outbreak, there were about 165 residents at the 200 bed facility. Allison said 37 residents who have tested negative for COVID-19 were moved to other Symphony locations. Officials at Symphony confirmed that there are 16 patients currently in the nursing home suspected of having COVID-19.

A nursing assistant who worked for two days recently on a contract was driven to tears after what she saw.

Days before, residents who were generally independent had become gravely sick, she said. “Everybody was sick,” she said.

Allison had a message for loved ones: “We’re with you. We are also concerned. We will do all we can to protect your loved ones. They are our loved ones, too.”

A COVID-19 outbreak at Chateau Nursing And Rehabilitation Center in Willowbrook, infected 54 people — 35 patients and 19 staff — with COVID-19. At least 10 residents from that facility have died, according to the DuPage County Health Department.

Outside Richmond, Virgina, 45 residents of Canterbury Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center have died of COVID-19. According to published reports, that is believed to be the worst outbreak of COVID-19 at a nursing facility. The first known major outbreak of the novel coronavirus occurred at a nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington, where 37 people died. In Anderson, Indiana, 22 people at the Bethany Pointe nursing home have died.

Developing story, check back for updates.