Some COVID patients are still experiencing loss of taste and smell well after their infection.
Plus, the pandemic could be behind an earlier surge in respiratory cases hospitalizing children across the Chicago area.
Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic across Illinois today:
Loss of Smell May Not Happen Right Away. What We Know About the COVID Symptom
While it seemed that loss of smell may have faded from the most common symptoms associated with the virus, health experts say it's still being seen in many infections — and for some, it may not hit right away.
Chicago's top doctor said the city continues to see a "wide range of symptoms," including loss of taste and smell.
Read more here.
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3 Illinois Counties at 'High' Community Level for COVID-19 as 1 Million Bivalent Booster Shots Have Been Administered
Illinois health officials reported 11,995 new COVID-19 cases over the past week, along with 43 additional deaths over the past seven days
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Cases climbed slightly from last week, when 11,447 new cases were reported, which marked another slight increase over the previous week.
Read more here.
Masks Recommended in 3 Illinois Counties With ‘High' COVID Community Level
Masks are advised in three Illinois counties that have returned to "high" COVID community level status following an increase in weekly metrics, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Friday, Knox, Saline and Warren counties were all said to be at "high" community level status.
Read more here.
CDC Panel Votes to Add COVID Shots to Recommended Vaccine Routine Schedule
COVID-19 shots should be added to the lists of recommended vaccinations for kids and adults, a panel of U.S. vaccine experts said Thursday.
The panel's unanimous decision has no immediate effect — COVID-19 shots already are recommended for virtually all Americans. Rather, it would put the shots on the annually updated, formal lists of what vaccinations doctors should be routinely offering to their patients, alongside shots for polio, measles and hepatitis.
The expert panel’s decisions are almost always adopted by the CDC director and then sent to doctors as part of the government’s advice on how to prevent disease.
Read more here.
‘Unbelievable Surge': Chicago-Area Doctors Report Rise in RSV, Respiratory Cases in Kids
Doctors in the Chicago area are reporting a rapid surge in respiratory illnesses, including RSV, in children, which is putting hospitals on high alert as beds fill up earlier than usual and cases shift from what many have come to expect during cold and flu season.
Though RSV season typically begins between mid-September and mid-November, the virus' peak often does not hit until sometime between late-December and mid-February, data shows.
Some experts say the COVID pandemic may have played a role in the earlier rise.
Read more here.
XBB, BQ.1.1: List of New COVID Variants Grows. Here's What Experts Are Saying
Several new COVID variants - XBB, BQ.1, BA.1.1 - are starting to rise in numbers, sparking concern from experts around the globe, but what do we know about them and what could they signal for the pandemic amid fears of another winter surge?
BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 are among the newer variants to emerge but are already rising above other recent variants like BF.7 in their spread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read more here.
‘Pretty Troublesome' BQ.1, BQ.1.1 COVID Variants Spread in U.S. as BA.5 Cases Decrease
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now tracking two omicron subvariants that are responsible for more than 11% of COVID cases in the U.S., with top health officials saying that the new strains exhibit some “pretty troublesome” characteristics.
The new subvariants, known as BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, were added to the CDC’s COVID variant tracker in this week’s update. The two subvariants are descendants of the BA.5 omicron variant, which has been the dominant strain of COVID in the U.S. for more than three months.
Read more here.
More COVID Variants Emerging Now Than in Recent Months, But Is 1 Worse Than Others?
New COVID variants like XBB, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 are emerging globally, sparking new concerns as they begin to spread and adding to the growing list of emerging variants, but why are all of these variants suddenly arising now and is one variant worse than the others?
Chicago's top doctor said seasonal shifts could play a role in the rise in new variants.
Read more here.
No, There's Not a Mask Mandate in Illinois. Here Are Changes for Health Care and More
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker updated an executive order surrounding COVID guidelines in recent days, leading to new guidance surrounding masks, health care settings and more.
The changes to the order include new wording for who should mask and when in the state and the requirements for health care workers and those in long-term care centers, but there are some caveats.
Read more here.
Illinois Health Officials Endorse Bivalent COVID-19 Boosters for Children 5 and Older
Updated COVID-19 booster shots were cleared recently to include children as young as 5, and Illinois health officials are backing the breadth of access with their sights set on bolstering protection against newer strains of the virus.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control green lit the expansion of eligibility Wednesday. Dr. Sameer Vohra, the Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said in a statement Friday the new range of access comes at a critical time in Illinois.
Read more here.
