December 21, 2024
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Morris Hospital sees jump in number of COVID patients in 1 week

Grundy County Health Department is offering walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinics 3 days a week through Christmas

By Denise M. Baran-Unland

A patient receives their first round of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, at Joliet West High Schoool in Joliet, Ill. COVID cases have risen in certain parts of Will and Grundy counties. The majority the patients being hospitalized are unvaccinated. (Geoff Stellfox - gstellfox@shawmedia.com/Geoff Stellfox - gstellfox@shawmedia.com)

COVID cases at Morris Hospital have taken a substantial jump since the day before Thanksgiving and continue to rise.

Janet Long, Morris Hospital’s public relations manger, said Morris Hospital was treating nine COVID-19-positive patients on Nov. 22, which rose to 22 patients on Monday. Of the 72 total in-patients at Morris Hospital on Thursday, 26 had COVID-19, and 21 of them were unvaccinated.

The Grundy County Health Department is offering walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinics from 9 a.m. to noon every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until Christmas at the Grundy County Administration Building, 1320 Union St. in Morris. For more information, visit grundyco.org/health.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center Bolingbrook also has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases since Thanksgiving. Bolingbrook was treating five patients Nov. 24 and 11 patients Thursday.

By contrast, AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet is holding steady in COVID-19 cases. St. Joe’s had 34 cases Nov. 24 and 37 cases Thursday.

Edward Hospital in Naperville has seen an increase, too, but those COVID-19 numbers have risen steadily through November.

On Nov. 1, Edward had 19 COVID-19 patients. Since Nov. 22, the numbers have remained at 34 to 35 patients a day. Edward Hospital was treating 35 COVID-19 patients Thursday and only five of them were vaccinated, said Keith Hartenberger, system director, public relations at Edward-Elmhurst Health.

Like Edward Hospital, Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox has treated a consistent number of COVID-19 patients in November, with numbers in the 40s and low 50s, said Debra Robbins, director of community relations and marketing at Silver Cross. On Thursday, Silver Cross was treating 50 COVID-19 patients.

However in July, the number of COVID-19 patients was in the low single digits, Robbins said. In late October, the number of COVID-19 patients was in the upper teens and 20s, Robbins said.

“Our infectious disease experts continue to espouse the importance of vaccination against COVID-19 within the community,” Robbins said in an email. “Masking, social distancing and excellent hand hygiene are also important.”

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