What is the protocol if you test positive for COVID or think you might have the virus?
With cold and flu season coming up, many may be questioning their symptoms or waiting for test results.
Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic across Illinois today:
No Illinois Counties at ‘High' COVID Community Level Status for First Time in Months, Data Reveals
As a sign of progress in the fight against COVID-19, the Illinois Department of Public Health revealed none of Illinois' 102 counties are listed at "high" community level status for the first time in more than four months.
Every week since mid-May, at least one county had been listed at "high" status, the third of three classifications outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC previously implemented community level guidance, which ranks counties at either "low, "medium" or "high" status based on new admissions, the number of occupied inpatient beds and the current level of new cases per 100,000 people.
Read more here.
Weekly COVID Cases in Illinois Reach Level Not Seen in Months
Illinois health officials reported 10,945 new COVID-19 cases over the past week, along with 64 additional deaths.
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The metrics mark a dramatic decline in COVID cases, becoming the lowest number of weekly cases since April 8. In another positive milestone, no counties were listed under the "high" community level for the first time since mid-May, though experts continued to urge residents not to "let their guard down."
Read more here.
These Are Some of the Most Common and Not-So-Common COVID Symptoms in 2022
With cold and flu season near as temperatures drop, and experts watching for another potential surge in COVID cases. many might be wondering what exactly is behind their symptoms.
Some of COVID's most common symptoms, particularly in 2022 so far, overlap with several conditions, including cold and flu.
Read more here.
Should I Still Quarantine If I Have COVID or Flu Symptoms?
As seasons change and temperatures continue to fall, health experts are expecting an uptick in COVID-19 and flu cases in the coming months as more activities shift indoors.
While noticeable increases in COVID-19 and flu cases have yet to be observed, many are wondering what their course of action should be if they start to experience symptoms, especially without knowing what illness they may have.
Read more here.
Is Vertigo a Post-COVID Symptom? Here's Why Some May Experience it After Infection
As temperatures continue to cool down, health experts are anticipating a rise in both flu and COVID-19 cases in the coming months as more activities shift indoors.
With many people recovering from COVID or having recently recovered from COVID, some are wondering about what symptoms may persist and if any new ones may potentially develop.
On Tuesday during a Facebook Live session, Chicago's top doctor Allison Arwady answered a question regarding vertigo, a symptom that has been reported in some while recovering from COVID.
Read more here.
Do New Bivalent COVID Booster Shots Come With More Side Effects? Top Doc Answers
Do the new bivalent COVID boosters come with more side effects?
Chicago's top doctor answered that question during a Facebook Live Tuesday - and her answer was no. In fact, it may even be the opposite.
Read more here.
COVID Variant Tracker Shows BA.4.6, BF.7 on the Rise as BA.5 Cases Slowly Decrease
The BA.5 omicron subvariant still accounts for more than 4-in-5 COVID cases in the U.S., but two new subvariants have continued to gain ground in recent weeks.
According to the latest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the BA.5 omicron subvariant still is responsible for 83.1% of COVID cases in the United States as of Tuesday.
Even though that makes it by far the most dominant variant of the virus currently circulating in the United States, it also represents a continued decrease in that dominance as two other omicron subvariants emerge.
Read more here.
CDC's Updated Hospital Masking Guidance May Not Be What You Think, as Top Doc Explains
News that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had changed its masking guidelines for health care settings has been headlines this week, but how exactly has it changed?
Chicago's top doctor said the answer is more complex than many may know.
Read more here.
Signs of COVID vs. Flu: Chicago's Top Doctor Says Only One Way to Know the Difference
With temperatures steadily cooling down and the beginning of flu season quickly approaching, health experts are anticipating a rise in cases of both the flu and COVID-19.
While flu season has not "started in any kind of serious way" yet, according to Chicago's top doctor Allison Arwady, health experts are warning residents of the symptoms of both the flu and COVID-19 while encouraging vaccination for both.
Read more here.
Having Trouble Getting Moderna's New COVID Booster Shot? Here's Why and When That Could Change
After reports of shortages involving Moderna's updated COVID-19 booster shot, additional doses have begun to arrive at pharmacies nationwide, and more are expected soon.
The Food and Drug Administration said last week it authorized the release of 10 additional shipments, with each said to contain millions of doses of Moderna's bivalent booster. The CDC signed off on updated versions of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s booster shots on Sept. 1, and pharmacies and other vaccination sites began administering the new shots around Labor Day weekend.
Read more here.
Chicago's Top Doctor is Waiting to Get the New COVID Booster Shot, But Says Not Everyone Should
With COVID cases anticipated to rise again as fall gets underway, health officials widely encourage those eligible to get the recently-updated "bivalent" booster shot as soon as possible.
Containing half the original vaccine recipe and half protection against the newest omicron versions, the boosters are said to offer better protection than those previously administered. As the winter months inch closer, Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, has advised residents to not wait when it comes to getting vaccinated and boosted.
Read more here.
Where to Get Updated COVID Booster, Eligibility, Possible Side Effects and More
For the vast majority of the pandemic, up until early September, COVID-19 vaccines targeted the original coronavirus strain, even as wildly different mutants emerged. Vaccines continued to show effective protection, even regarding different strains, and now, experts hope the newest shots can go even further and provide additional protection.
Known as "bivalent" vaccines, the updated doses contain half the original vaccine recipe and half protection against the newest omicron versions, BA.4 and BA.5.
Read more here.
