Some Illinois counties have reached a high alert level according to standards set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as rates continue to rise statewide.
There is also a new update on vaccines for children under 5 years old.
Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic across Illinois today:
Pfizer says 3 COVID shots protect kids under 5
Three doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine offer strong protection for children under the age of 5, the company announced Monday. Pfizer plans to release the data to US regulators later this week to give the youngest children a chance to get the shots.
The news comes after months of anxiously waiting by parents who are desperate to get their babies, toddlers and preschoolers vaccinated, especially as COVID-19 cases rise again. The 18 million infants under the age of 5 are the only group in the US not yet eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.
Read more here.
8 Illinois counties are moving to high COVID risk levels, 39 to intermediate levels, IDPH data shows
As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise nationwide, eight Illinois counties have been reported as having high risk of community-level virus transmission, and 39 were at intermediate risk as of Friday.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the following eight counties in Illinois were at high risk for COVID at the community level: Boone, Lee, Stephenson, Winnebago, Champaign, Ford, Peoria, and Tazewell.
Read more here.
40,000 new cases, 56 deaths in last week as 8 counties move to high-risk levels
Illinois health officials reported 40,193 new COVID-19 cases and 45 other deaths over the past week. While cases have increased slightly, the number of deaths has increased by 11 in the past seven days.
In the previous week, the state reported 40,026 new cases and 45 deaths. The week before, the state reported 30,633 new cases and 46 deaths were reported.
A total of 3,249,534 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the state since the pandemic began, according to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The additional deaths bring the state to 33,761 confirmed COVID deaths.
Read more here.
IDPH advocates federal approval of COVID vaccine booster shots for children ages 5 to 11
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday expressed support for federal health officials recommending COVID-19 booster shots for children ages 5 to 11 at least five months after their primary vaccination series.
IDPH issued an advisory to Illinois vaccine providers endorsing Pfizer-BioNTech’s booster dose for children ages 5 to 11 following emergency Food and Drug Administration approval and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation this week became.
Read more here.
Chicago-area counties are nearing ‘high community levels’ of COVID as cases and hospital admissions surge
Every Illinois county within the NBC 5 viewing area is now at a “medium community level” of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, with several potentially jumping to the “high” level as early as next week.
According to the latest data released Thursday by the CDC, a total of eight counties in Illinois are now at this “high community level” of COVID-19. That includes a group of counties along the Wisconsin border, with Boone, Stephenson and Winnebago counties all jumping into that category this week.
Read more here.
Could mask mandates return as Chicago-area counties near ‘high’ COVID levels?
According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID cases and hospitalizations threaten to push several Chicago-area counties, including Cook County, into the highest COVID alert level in the coming weeks.
That data, released Thursday afternoon, suggests that several Chicago-area counties could potentially soon reach “high community levels” of COVID-19, which would then prompt the CDC to recommend a variety of mitigation strategies to address the increase curb metrics.
Even if certain counties hit that “high community level” threshold, it may not necessarily mean an automatic return to COVID mitigations, including a mask bid.
Here’s what we know.
USPS COVID test kit: How to get your test kit in the mail
You can sign up now to receive 8 free rapid home antigen COVID tests in the mail, the federal government recently announced.
In previous rounds of test distribution, residents could only claim up to four at-home COVID test kits per household.
Test kits are shipped free to homes, according to the United States Postal Service. These tests come in two separate packages, with four test kits in each package, the USPS says.
Here’s how to sign up and have your email delivered to your home.
Illinois COVID Tests: Where to Find Free Rapid PCR COVID Tests Near You
COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to rise in Illinois, with the state now averaging more than 6,000 new probable and confirmed COVID-19 cases per day.
It’s the first time the daily rate in Illinois has been this high in more than three months.
The good news is that COVID testing in Chicago and Illinois is still free in many locations. And the federal government is now offering residents twice the number of free rapid COVID antigen tests during its latest round of kit availability, according to an update from the United States Postal Service.
If you have symptoms or think you’ve been exposed, find free COVID testing near you in Chicago and Illinois for adults and children here.
How long after infection can you test positive for COVID?
If you test positive for COVID, how long could that be?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some people who contract COVID-19 can have detectable virus for up to three months, but that doesn’t mean they’re contagious.
However, when it comes to testing, the PCR tests are more likely to continue picking up the virus after infection.
Read more here.
FDA approves home test that can help diagnose COVID, influenza, and RSV
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a unique home testing kit that allows individuals to collect samples and have them tested for a variety of respiratory diseases, including COVID-19 and influenza.
The FDA has approved Labcorp’s Seasonal Respiratory Virus RT-PCR DTC test, according to a press release issued Monday.
These tests, which are available without a prescription, can be used by people with symptoms of a respiratory viral infection, according to the FDA.
The tests allow a person to take a nasal swab themselves at home, similar to a home COVID-19 test. Instead of receiving the results at home, these samples can be sent to Labcorp for testing.
The tests can identify and distinguish between a variety of diseases, including influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19, according to the FDA.
When are you contagious with COVID and how long should you quarantine?
COVID-19 cases have been rising across Chicago, and the city’s top doctor said the trend is likely to continue in the coming weeks, prompting questions from concerned residents.
dr Chicago Department of Health commissioner Allison Arwady says the city’s positivity rate has jumped to nearly 5% in recent weeks, and she expects the metrics to continue rising in the coming days.
Read more here.
Low, Medium, High: What CDC Community Tiers Mean and What Each Requires
What does this mean for you given that almost every county in the Chicago area has reached “intermediate community level” for COVID-19 and one suburb of Chicago has reached “high” transmission levels according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines?
So what does that mean and what does it take to get to each level?
Here’s a look at the guidelines.
Tested positive for COVID and looking for treatment options? Here’s what you should know about Pfizer’s antiviral pill
With more tests positive for the coronavirus across the Chicago area, many questions are turning to how the new COVID-19 antiviral pill is treating the virus.
Pfizer’s Paxlovid pill has recently been used in several high-profile cases, including Vice President Kamala Harris.
However, as more doctors prescribe Pfizer’s powerful COVID pill, new questions about its performance are emerging, including why a small number of patients appear to relapse after taking the drug.
Here’s what we know so far.
COVID incubation period: how long should you quarantine and when are you contagious?
COVID-19 cases have been rising across Chicago, and the city’s top doctor said the trend is likely to continue in the coming weeks, prompting questions from concerned residents.
dr Chicago Department of Health commissioner Allison Arwady says the city’s positivity rate has jumped to nearly 5% in recent weeks, and she expects the metrics to continue rising in the coming days.
“In this wave … we’re probably going to have more cases before we see it turn around,” she said. “And the last thing we want to do is for people to actually see that the number of hospital admissions is going up significantly.”
For those contracting COVID, there may be lingering questions. Here is the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
2022 CDC COVID Guidelines: Symptoms to Watch, Duration of Quarantine, and More
As new, more contagious variants of COVID-19 spread across the United States and most of the Chicago area, rising to higher alert levels, many are wondering what to do if they experience symptoms or test positive for the virus.
If you’ve been exposed, when might symptoms appear, how long are you contagious, how long should you quarantine, and when is the best time to test?
Read more here.
