The number of COVID-19 patients at local hospitals remains high but relatively stable the last several weeks.
Confirmed COVID-19 patients and patients under investigation (PUIs) rose slightly at AMITA Saint Francis Hospital Evanston to 45 on Dec. 10 from 42 on Nov. 30. Confirmed COVID-19 patients increased to 30 from 27 the past 10 days.
Hospital administrators and health officials feared an increase in cases after the Thanksgiving holiday. Hospitalizations lag several weeks behind diagnosis and infection.
According to figures from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), more than 1 million people traveled through U.S. airports on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and about 6 million people flew during Thanksgiving week.
Confirmed cases at NorthShore University HealthSystem’s Evanston and Glenbrook Hospitals were 136 Dec. 11, up slightly from 133 on Nov. 30 and 130 on Nov. 24. The bulk of NorthShore COVID-19 patients are at Glenbrook Hospital; 10 patients are at Evanston Hospital.