Always Bad News On Virus? Nope. Check Elmhurst Numbers

ELMHURST, IL — If you think the media are always alarmist about the coronavirus, you may want to keep this story in mind as contrary to your theory.

The last week was good news on the pandemic front in Elmhurst: In that time, the city saw an increase of 120 new coronavirus cases — a 4.5 percent hike. That's the lowest percentage increase since late October. Since early November, Elmhurst has seen more than 200 new coronavirus cases every week. So while 120 may seem like a lot, it's a huge drop from recent experience.

As of Sunday, Elmhurst had seen 2,794 coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Since early October, the number of cases has nearly tripled.

The number of those who have recovered is unavailable.

As of Sunday, coronavirus-related deaths in Elmhurst since the pandemic's beginning rose by one in the last week, for a total of 52.

Here is how Elmhurst's coronavirus cases have grown over time:

Elmhurst's rate of increase of 4.5 percent was less than DuPage County's hike of 4.8 percent in the last week. Elmhurst makes up 5 percent of the county's population and 5 percent of the county's coronavirus caseload.

As of Sunday, Elmhurst had 59.8 coronavirus cases per thousand people. The figure compares to 46.8 in La Grange Park, 50.6 in Darien, 52.7 in Hinsdale, 53 in Western Springs, 58.4 in Clarendon Hills, 60.2 in DuPage County, 65.4 in Burr Ridge, 65.8 in suburban Cook County and 73 in La Grange (including unincorporated La Grange Highlands).

As of Sunday, Illinois' coronavirus case count increased to 900,370, up 5.8 percent from a week earlier. The coronavirus has claimed the lives of 15,202 state residents.

Nationally, 17.6 million people have caught the virus, up 10 percent from the week before. A total of 315,260 people have died from the virus in the United States.

Read more:

Coronavirus Deaths Top 15,000 In Illinois Amid Vaccine Delays — Don't miss updates in Elmhurst as they are announced — Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

As of Sunday, Elmhurst Hospital was caring for 48 patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, according to the hospital. That is two more than a week earlier.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 134 people have died from the coronavirus at the facility. The number is up by seven from a week ago.

Since March, 1,135 patients have been discharged from Elmhurst Hospital following treatment for confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the hospital. Elmhurst Hospital's patient base covers an area far greater than Elmhurst itself.

Here is a look at the hospital's numbers since April: