Should you mask up for your holiday gatherings as respiratory viruses spread?
Experts weighed in.
Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic across Illinois today.
Should You Mask Up for Holiday Gatherings? Here's What Chicago's Top Doc is Saying
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With cases of COVID-19 and influenza continuing to climb across the Chicago area, many residents are wondering what risk holiday travel and family gatherings entail with Christmas just days away.
While CDC data shows Cook County and most of the Chicago area remaining under a "medium" COVID-19 community level, Chicago's top doctor predicted that Cook County will be under a "high" community level very soon, when masks are officially recommended by the CDC in public settings.
Read more on what Chicago's top doctor had to say here.
Local
Pharmacies Limit Sales of Kids' Medicines Amid Flu, RSV, COVID Wave: What Parents Can Do
Caring for sick children has become extra stressful recently for many U.S. parents due to shortages of Children’s Tylenol and other medicines.
Doctors and other experts say the problem could persist through the winter cold-and-flu season but should not last as long as other recent shortages of baby formula or prescription drugs.
They also say parents have alternatives if they encounter empty store shelves.
What Are ‘Never-Coviders'?
Not to be confused with people who have not yet caught COVID-19, researchers believe the section of the population that are naturally immune to the virus (never-coviders) won’t ever get sick.
Watch here.
You Can Get Free COVID Tests From the Government. Here's How
Once again, U.S. residents can get free COVID tests delivered right to their homes.
The Biden Administration announced Dec. 15 that it's offering households four rapid virus tests through covidtests.gov, so how can you get yours?
Read more here.
White House's Covid Coordinator Urges People to Get Vaccinated Ahead of Holidays
As Covid and flu hospitalizations have climbed in the weeks since Thanksgiving, White House's Covid-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said families will be safer at upcoming holiday gatherings if they get their updated vaccines.
This year, hospitals are facing the simultaneous threat of Covid, flu and RSV for the first time. Circulation of flu and RSV was very low during the pandemic due to widespread masking and social distancing implemented in response to Covid, but as most people return to normal life, all three viruses are circulating widely.
Read more here.
What Are ‘Never-Coviders' and How Can They Help Us End the Pandemic?
At this point in the pandemic -- which is weeks away from completing a third year -- most people have caught COVID-19 despite best efforts to mask up, stay socially distant and inoculate against the virus.
Whether the virus caught up to you in the early days of the pandemic, last winter during the high-contagious omicron variant wave, or anywhere in between, it's hard to find anyone who hasn't come down with COVID-19. But that does not mean there aren't people out there who have yet to test positive.
There's a new classification for some of those lucky few who have dodged the virus: "never-coviders."
Read more here.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Tests Positive for COVID-19
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has tested positive for COVID-19, she announced Friday.
“I am thankfully not experiencing symptoms, which I attribute to being vaccinated and fully boosted," Lightfoot said in a statement.
Lightfoot added she will follow CDC guidelines for isolation and work from home.
"This is a reminder to get vaccinated and boosted this holiday season to keep you and your loved ones healthy and safe," Lightfoot said.
Masks Recommended in Over 40 Illinois Counties With ‘High' COVID Community Alert Level
Masks are encouraged in 43 out of Illinois' 102 counties that have been raised to "high" COVID-19 community level status as a result of an uptick in weekly metrics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The latest CDC data showed a total of 86 counties are at an elevated status of either "medium" or "high." In all, 43 counties are listed at "high" status compared to 29 from the week prior, metrics showed. An additional 43 are deemed in the "medium" category, marking a slight decline from 45 counties a week earlier.
Read more here.
You Can Now Get Both a Flu and COVID Test at Walgreens. Here's How
As highly-transmissible respiratory illnesses circulate, Walgreens announced rapid flu testing is available now alongside COVID testing at select pharmacies.
The move is intended to curb the spread of viruses by helping communities identify and manage their ailments as the holiday season pans out, the pharmaceutical company said Friday in a press release.
Read more here.
86 Illinois Counties at Elevated Community Level of COVID-19 as CDC Metrics Report Rise in Cases
Illinois health officials reported a total of 23,334 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, including 82 deaths, since Dec. 9. The metrics are up from the week prior, when officials said the state saw 21,404 new and confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 56 deaths.
According to CDC data, 86 state counties stand at an elevated community level of the virus. The number of counties are split evenly among elevated statuses, with 43 at "high" and 43 at "medium."
Read more here.
2 Chicago-Area Counties Reach High COVID Alert Level, Masks Recommended
Two Chicago-area counties have reached a "high" COVID alert level from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, joining dozens of other counties across the state in reaching the highest community level, which dictates that masks are now recommended for all in public indoor spaces.
DeKalb and Kankakee counties reached the designation in this week's update from the CDC. It follows what officials were expecting would be a post-Thanksgiving rise in transmission for the virus.
Read more here.
