NAPERVILLE, IL — Data released this week by the federal government shows how close DuPage County hospitals are to reaching capacity amid the unprecedented demands of the coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services each week publishes capacity data for tens of thousands of hospitals nationwide, including the number of beds occupied by COVID-19 patients. The new data, released Sunday, includes those figures for the week beginning January 1, 2021.
Health experts have said that the share of each hospital’s beds devoted to coronavirus is key to understanding the strain on its resources. A share greater than 10 percent is said to be a cause of concern. When that share exceeds 20 percent, a hospital is said to be under extreme stress, and as the share approaches 50 percent the stress is said to be immense.
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