Elmhurst Sees Big Hike In Virus Cases: County

ELMHURST, IL — As of Sunday, Elmhurst had seen 81 new coronavirus cases over the previous week, the largest such increase in its caseload since the pandemic's beginning, according to figures from the DuPage County Health Department. The hike amounted to 10 percent.

Since late July, Elmhurst's cases have risen by nearly 80 percent. The number of those who are considered recovered from the coronavirus was unavailable.

As of Sunday, the number of coronavirus-related deaths in Elmhurst numbered 47, up by one from the previous week. Before last week, that number had not increased in some time.

Nursing homes are often hotbeds for the coronavirus, but those numbers have barely budged in recent weeks. In Elmhurst, The Grove of Elmhurst reported 98 cases as of Friday, according to the state Department of Public Health. It was followed by 44 at Artis Senior Living and 28 at Lexington of Elmhurst. The total coronavirus deaths are 20 at Artis, 15 at The Grove and 13 at Lexington. Artis' outbreak was early in the crisis, and the home has seen hardly any effects in months, according to Artis.

The case numbers at nursing homes include employees, who may live elsewhere, and are thus excluded from Elmhurst's overall number.

Here is how Elmhurst's coronavirus caseload has grown over time:

In DuPage County, Addison has the highest number of cases with 1,271, which works out to 34.8 per thousand. It is followed by West Chicago, with 1,152 cases, or 43 per thousand. Despite the high caseloads, both towns have seen relatively few deaths — 10 in Addison and 13 in West Chicago.

As of Sunday, Elmhurst had 18.8 coronavirus cases per thousand people. The figure compares to 14 in La Grange Park, 14.7 in Darien, 17.4 in Western Springs, 18.5 in Clarendon Hills, 18.9 in DuPage County, 22 in Hinsdale, 24 in suburban Cook County, 24.6 in La Grange (including unincorporated La Grange Highlands) and 25.5 in Burr Ridge.

As of Sunday, Illinois' coronavirus case count increased to 287,930, up 5 percent from a week earlier. The coronavirus has claimed the lives of 8,601 state residents.

Nationally, 7.1 million people have caught the virus, up 5 percent from the week before. A total of 204,033 people have died from the virus in the United States.

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Meanwhile, Elmhurst Hospital's coronavirus caseload was 11 as of Monday, up seven from a week before. In the early weeks of the pandemic, the number hovered around 60.

As of Monday, the number of coronavirus-related deaths at the hospital was 90, up by two from a week before.

Since March 24, 557 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.