As COVID cases rise in the Chicago area, with more possible following holiday gatherings, what can you do if you test positive?
Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic across Illinois today.
What Medicine Can You Take for COVID? Paxlovid, Remdesivir and Other Treatment Options
The majority of people who contract COVID-19 don't need to seek treatment and can typically battle the infection on their own, but that's not always the case, and there are various treatments available for those at higher risk of hopsitalization or serious illness.
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Those options include antiviral pills and intravenous treatments. The criteria vary widely for each, and depending on your situation, one option may be recommended over the other.
Read more here.
Precautions Advised as Chicago and Cook County Return to ‘Medium' COVID Alert Level
Local
With Chicago and suburban Cook County back under an elevated COVID alert level, health officials are reiterating precautions to reduce the spread of respiratory viruses, especially with more gatherings planned through the end of the year.
Both Chicago and Cook County shifted from "low" to "medium" community level status Friday following a rise in metrics, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Read more here.
New COVID Boosters Work Better Against Infection Than Previous Shots, CDC Finds
The first real-world data on the new omicron vaccines find that they are better at preventing symptomatic COVID infections than the earlier doses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
The findings fortify messaging from public health officials that the new shots, from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, should provide people with the best protection against COVID this winter, according to the CDC report.
Read more here.
Chicago-Area Hospitals Running Out of Beds to Help Sick Children Amid Surge in Viruses
Chicago-area hospitals are filling up in the lead-up to the Thanksgiving holiday, with some reporting days without beds available to treat seriously ill children as flu and RSV cases surge.
"Hospitals and clinics are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of people who are ill with respiratory diseases like influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19," the DuPage County Health Department said in a statement Tuesday. "Children are being especially impacted, with more children with severe illness seeking care at hospitals with some waiting hours to be seen. Some even need to be transferred to another healthcare facility."
The county said "there are days when there are no open beds for seriously ill children in the hospitals serving the nearly 1 million residents of DuPage County."
Read more here.
RSV is Surging as Cases of Flu, COVID Are Rising. Should We Be Wearing Masks?
Health experts in Chicago and across the country since October have been expressing concern that an "explosion" of respiratory viruses -- RSV, influenza and COVID -- would start to appear this fall and winter as cases of each continue to rise.
"My concern is as COVID really takes off and as the flu really takes off that it is really going to continue to stretch our hospital capacity," said Dr. Allison Arwady, the public health commissioner for the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Read more here.
Should Residents Wear Masks, Even When it Isn't Required? Chicago's Top Doctor Weighs In
Amid slow increases in COVID cases in Illinois and around the United States, Chicago’s top doctor says that residents may want to start wearing masks more often in indoor spaces, especially with flu and RSV cases on the rise as well.
Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, took time during her Tuesday Facebook Live to address questions about masking, and says that she has continued to wear masks in indoor spaces.
Read more here.
3 Unusual COVID Symptoms and What to Watch For If You Think You Have Them
As the COVID pandemic enters its third winter, many now know that not everyone experiences the same symptoms. But for some, the symptoms might seem particularly strange.
While many may experience fevers, coughs, congestion and more, there are some unexpected symptoms that could sprout.
Read more here.
Are Breakthrough Cases Being Reported With Bivalent COVID Booster? Top Doc Says Yes
Chicago's top doctor said there have been reported of breakthrough COVID infections in people who have received the new bivalent COVID booster and there's a reason for that.
"We have seen some breakthrough cases just like we have every time... since the beginning of COVID," Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Tuesday, adding that "it is definitely related to the newer strains."
Arwady referred to the changing dynamics of variant proportion in the Midwest and across the U.S., with the BA.5 omicron subvariant quickly losing its hold as the dominant strain.
Read more here.
‘Tripledemic' Feared as RSV and Flu Cases Rise, COVID Community Levels Increase in Chicago Area
With winter approaching and Thanksgiving less than two weeks away, doctors warn the U.S. could potentially face what's being called a "tripledemic" - a rise in three respiratory illnesses.
"When we say 'tripledemic' what we mean is that we’re seeing high cases of RSV, high cases of influenza, and we expect we’re going to see high cases of COVID as well," explained Dr. Kevin Smith.
Read more here.
