Elmhurst Virus Case Count Up 18% In Last Week

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst saw a big increase in coronvirus cases in recent days. As of Sunday, the number of cases rose by 18 percent to 348, up from 298 a week earlier, according to health authorities.

It's unclear what accounts for the surge, but other nearby towns, including Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills, have seen bigger than usual jumps in the last week.

Nursing homes are often hotbeds for the coronavirus. In Elmhurst, The Grove of Elmhurst reported 47 cases as of Friday, followed by 42 at Artis Senior Living, 17 at Lexington of Elmhurst and 2 at Park Place of Elmhurst. The coronavirus deaths are 19 at Artis, 11 at Lexington, 4 at The Grove and none at Park Place.

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

The previous week Elmhurst's coronavirus case count rose 9 percent. Here's a look at the coronavirus numbers in Elmhurst:

As of Sunday, Elmhurst had 7.4 coronavirus cases per thousand people. That compares to 4.7 in Western Springs, 6.5 in Clarendon Hills, 6.6 in Darien, 6.8 in La Grange Park, 10 in Burr Ridge and DuPage County as a whole, 11.4 in Hinsdale, 13.5 in La Grange and 14.8 in suburban Cook County.

In DuPage County, Addison is leading the pack with 838 cases, or 23 per thousand, according to the health department. West Chicago follows with 792 cases, or 29.5 per thousand.

As of Sunday, Illinois' coronavirus case count increased to 147,251, up 4 percent from a week earlier. The coronavirus has claimed the lives of 7,020 state residents.

Nationally, 2.8 million people have caught the virus and 129,576 have died from it.

Illinois Coronavirus Update July 6: 147,251 Cases, 7,020 Deaths — Don't miss updates in Elmhurst as they are announced — Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

Meanwhile, Elmhurst Hospital's caseload dropped by one in the last week, to 15. In the early weeks of the pandemic, the number hovered around 60.

In the last week, the hospital reported four more deaths as a result of the coronavirus. That brings the total to 69.

Since March 24, 409 patients have been discharged from Elmhurst Hospital following treatment for confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the hospital. Elmhurst's patient base covers an area far greater than Elmhurst itself.