Pandemic Ending? Elmhurst Hospital Stats Are Good Sign

ELMHURST, IL – Last summer, it seemed as if the pandemic were ending. Well, we know how that turned out.

The latest numbers show the community is back at the low point again.

On Thursday, Elmhurst Hospital reported that it had just one patient being treated for the coronavirus. That's the first time since June 30, according to the hospital's reports. (On June 23, the number was zero.)

The number of coronavirus patients at the hospital was in the single digits for much of the time for two months starting in late May.

That was also the case in August and September 2020.

Now, only time will tell whether this drop is permanent. The likelihood is greater, given the majority of residents are fully vaccinated.

As it happens, the hospital's lone patient is vaccinated and boosted. Its previous reports show the majority of coronavirus patients are unvaccinated. That's disproportionate because less than 30 percent of DuPage County residents have not gotten their shots.

In January, the hospital reached a record high of coronavirus patients, at 105.

In the last month, 10 of Elmhurst Hospital's coronavirus patients have died. That's out of 287 since the pandemic began two years ago.

Since March 2020, Elmhurst Hospital has discharged 2,902 COVID-19 patients, eight of them in the last couple of days.

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 30 new coronavirus cases, according to the DuPage County Health Department. That was a decrease from the previous week's 49.

The city reached a weekly high of 599 in January.