37 Confirmed Or Suspected Cases Of Coronavirus At Silver Cross

NEW LENOX, IL — Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox reported a decrease of coronavirus inpatients once again at the hospital when compared to last week, according to data provided to Patch. As of noon Friday, the hospital told Patch it has 26 inpatients who have tested positive for the coronavirus and 11 persons under investigation.

All 37 patients continue to be cared for in isolation.

Over the past several weeks Patch has been asking Silver Cross for patient counts every week, which can be seen below.

Silver Cross recently received its first shipment of Remdesivir, an anti-viral medication originally developed as an Ebola treatment, the hospital said.

Robbins told Patch that nine coronavirus patients have already been treated with Remdesivir with positive results.

The hospital also recently started offering severe coronavirus patients convalescent plasma therapy, which is a clinical trial treatment through the Mayo Clinic. According to the hospital, the treatment uses antibodies from plasma donated by individuals who have recovered or are in the process of recovering from the coronavirus. The plasma is then transfused into patients currently fighting the virus. The nationwide study is led by researchers at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

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The first patient received their treatment at the hospital on April 28. Director Of Marketing and Community Relations Debra Robbins told Patch that 20 patients have now received convalescent plasma as part of the ongoing clinical trial.

For individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 and are interested in donating convalescent plasma, Microsoft recently launched a website to help them find the closest donation center to them.

The hospital continues to reopen services which had been suspended or postponed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

"The week of May 11, we resumed elective procedures and surgeries, along with screening mammograms and other imaging tests," Robbins said. "Our Outpatient Testing Center resumed its normal hours this week, and also this week, we reopened our Silver Cross Sleep Disorders Center for individuals who need a sleep study."

The hospital is currently evaluating when it can begin to offer cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation services again.

Data on recoveries and deaths at specific hospitals is not available through health authorities.