Another Surge In Patients At Elmhurst Hospital

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst Hospital reported Tuesday it had a dozen more coronavirus patients than the day before, with 97 in all.

A day earlier, the hospital broke its record for patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19, at 85. The previous record was 84 in November 2020.

The hospital appears to still have space for more coronavirus patients. In response to a Patch inquiry, the hospital said its daily occupancy has been at 90 percent or higher with the latest surge in the pandemic. Usually, the occupancy averages about 70 percent.

The hospital has 268 staffed beds. It typically has 39 intensive care unit beds, but can increase that capacity to 80, the hospital's spokesman, Keith Hartenberger, said in an email. Lately, he said, Elmhurst has been using 40 to 45 ICU beds a day.

As of Tuesday, 60 of the hospital's coronavirus patients were unvaccinated, or about 60 percent. Another 32 were vaccinated and one partially vaccinated, according to the hospital. The hospital has yet to collect and post data for four of the patients. In DuPage County, more than 70 percent of residents are vaccinated, according to health agencies.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 222 people have died from the coronavirus at the hospital. While coronavirus cases have increased a lot recently, the number of deaths is far lower than previous surges.

Since March 2020, the hospital has discharged 2,422 COVID-19 patients. On Tuesday, the hospital reported that 17 had been discharged in the previous day.

Elmhurst Hospital serves an area far larger than Elmhurst. But the city's numbers are an indicator of what's happening. Last week, Elmhurst experienced 529 new coronavirus cases, the highest weekly number during the pandemic. The previous local record was 336 cases a week earlier.