As Kane County’s COVID-19 average weekly test positivity rate surges beyond 13%, Elgin medical officials are pleading with residents to ring in the new year at home rather than at a party or public place.
Test positivity rate numbers are the highest they’ve been since December 2020, according to state data. The 13.2% is nearly double the 6.7% average rate four weeks ago and more than 10% higher than the 3.1% average rate in late October, data shows.
“This situation is growing more challenging by the day,” said Katie Dahlstron, public affairs coordinator for Aurora Advocate Health, which includes Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin. “Beds are tight, wait times are long and our team members are strained.”
According to state data, about 19% of ICU beds were available at hospitals in Kane and DuPage counties as of Tuesday, a number state health officials said should not drop below 20%.
Like health systems across the country, the COVID-19 inpatient count is rising steadily at Advocate, and the vast majority of those patients are unvaccinated, Dahlstrom said.
“We have 64 COVID patients at Advocate Sherman Hospital, more than four times what we had on Nov. 1,” Dahlstrom said. “Our hospitals across Illinois and Wisconsin are treating 1,258 COVID-19 inpatients, more than three times the number from eight weeks ago.”
Dr. Ana Gephart, chief medical officer for AMITA Health St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin, said as of Thursday, “We’re caring for 26 inpatients with COVID-19. One week ago, we were caring for 22 COVID-19 positive inpatients, while two weeks ago, that number was 17.”
Northwestern Medicine Media Relations Manager Kimberly Waterman said Delnor Hospital in Geneva has reached the same peak it had a year ago in December.
“We aren’t providing specific numbers as this is a rapidly evolving situation, but Delnor is experiencing the same surge as the rest of the region,” Waterman said.
Waterman and Gephart said the situation has not impacted the scheduling of elective surgeries at Delnor or Sherman. Across the Advocate system, Dahlstrom said, some noncritical or elective procedures have been paused or rescheduled, depending on local COVID case numbers, staffing and bed availability.
“Urgent and emergent services continue to be available 24 hours a day, and it is critical that patients seek care when needed,” Dahlstrom said.
Sherman has implemented a no-visitor policy, while St. Joseph is restricting patient visitors to one adult guest and Delnor’s allowing two masked guests at a time.
All three hospitals are urging people to reconsider their New Year’s holiday plans.
“Consider much smaller celebrations,” Waterman said. “Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces. If you are sick or have any cold-like symptoms, don’t host or attend a gathering. … If you aren’t fully vaccinated, don’t travel.”
Dr. Jay Liu, Delnor’s medical director of infectious diseases, said, “It’s important to remember the pandemic right now is as serious as it has been in the past. I’d caution people to dig into their reserves. Don’t become less careful.”
Keeping your family members and friends — and yourself — safe should be your priority, Gephart said.
“Limit the size of gatherings to those you know, and keep them small,” Gephart said. “If you do go out, wear a mask. Stay six feet away from others the best you can.”
Some residents are finding it hard to find COVID-19 testing amid the current surge and many said they’ve had to wait in line for hours to take the test. Starting Monday, the state’s mass testing site near Chicago Premium Outlets mall in Aurora will become operational six days a week in order to help meet demand, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced this week.
National pharmacy chains, like Walgreens or CVS, that offer testing have appointments filled several days in advance in the Elgin area and many stores that sell the at-home test kits have begun limiting the number customers can purchase due to the demand.
Similar to other industries, COVID-19 is impacting hospital staffing, area hospital representatives said.
“We are extremely proud of our team and our managers who are coordinating staffing to ensure our patients continue to receive the highest quality of care. Please show compassion towards staff who are working hard amid this crisis,” Waterman said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
