Elmhurst Virus Cases Up Over 50% Since Late July

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst recorded its lowest percentage weekly increase in coronavirus cases in a month. As of Sunday, the city had seen 753 virus cases since the beginning of the pandemic, up 5 percent from a week before, according to the DuPage County Health Department. The number of cases has grown by more than 50 percent since last July.

As of Sunday, Elmhurst had seen 46 coronavirus-related deaths so far, according to the health department. That's the same as a week earlier.

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 22 at Lexington of Elmhurst. The total coronavirus deaths are 20 at Artis, 14 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 thus excluded from Elmhurst's overall number.

Here's a look at the coronavirus numbers in Elmhurst:

In DuPage County, Addison has the highest number of cases with 1,163, which works out to 31.9 per thousand. It is followed by West Chicago, with 1,095 cases, or 40.8 per thousand. Despite the high caseloads, both towns have seen relatively few deaths — 9 in Addison and 13 in West Chicago.

As of Sunday, Elmhurst had 16.1 coronavirus cases per thousand people. The figure compares to 12.9 in Darien, 13.8 in La Grange Park, 15.2 in Western Springs, 16.7 in Clarendon Hills, 17.3 in DuPage County, 20.5 in Hinsdale, 22.4 in Burr Ridge and suburban Cook County, and 22.7 in La Grange (including unincorporated La Grange Highlands).

As of Sunday, Illinois' coronavirus case count increased to 261,371, up 4 percent from a week earlier. The coronavirus has claimed the lives of 8,309 state residents.

Nationally, 6.5 million people have caught the virus, up 3 percent from the week before. A total of 193,195 people have died from the virus in the United States.

Illinois Coronavirus Update Sept. 14: 261,371 Cases, 8,309 Deaths — Don't miss updates in Elmhurst as they are announced — Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

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

The number of deaths from the coronavirus at the hospital so far is 86, one more than a week earlier.

Since March 24, 531 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.