If you have a sore throat, it could be caused by a number of viruses circulating right now.
Experts say there are some steps you should take first, but a popular at-home remedy could help.
Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic across Illinois today.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth Working Remotely After Positive COVID Test
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Sen. Tamy Duckworth is experiencing mild symptoms after she was diagnosed with COVID-19 this week.
"My symptoms remain mild, and I am thankful that I'm fully vaccinated and double-boosted as I -- and families of the more than one million Americans we've lost to this pandemic -- know it could be much worse," she said in a statement.
Duckworth says that she will work in isolation through the remainder of the week, at the advice of the Senate's attending physician.
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Have a Sore Throat? Chicago's Top Doc Says You Might Want to Try This At-Home Remedy
With COVID, flu and other respiratory viruses all seeing increases right now, many people are experiencing a common shared symptom: a sore throat. So what should you do if you're not sure which virus is behind it?
Some of the city's top public health experts were asked that question Tuesday during a Facebook Live and a popular at-home remedy was given a high-profile endorsement.
Read more here.
Metrics Show Skyrocketing Respiratory Illnesses, With Officials Offering Health Tips
As cases of several different respiratory illnesses continue to climb, health officials and doctors are encouraging residents to take precautions and to take sickness seriously, getting diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
Flu cases in the U.S. are on a rapid incline in recent weeks, according to CDC data. COVID cases are also climbing quickly, including in Illinois, and cases of RSV have been ravaging health care systems for several weeks.
Read more here.
COVID-19 Can Live on These 5 Grocery Items for Days—Here's How to Consume Them Safely
At the height of the pandemic, Americans across the country were wiping down their groceries with antibacterial wipes for protection from Covid-19. And it turns out, we now know that doing so may not have been completely pointless.
Actually, COVID-19 can live on the surfaces of certain groceries for an entire week, according to a new study conducted by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the U.K.
Read more here.
CDC Encourages Masking, Other Precautions as Respiratory Viruses Surge
With respiratory viruses surging, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering adding new metrics into its guidelines for certain health recommendations, like masking. But for now, the agency is encouraging everyone, particularly those at high community levels for COVID, to mask up and take added precautions in the lead-up to the holidays.
The director for the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said during a call with reporters Monday that the agency is "actively looking into" whether or not flu and RSV levels should be added to its guidance.
Read more here.
Respiratory Illness Activity ‘Very High' in Illinois. Masks Encouraged as COVID Rises, Flu Spreads
Nationwide emergency room wait times have risen and hospitals are experiencing an increased strain on resources, with both brought on by a "tripledemic" - a term that describes a simultaneous surge in the respiratory viruses flu, COVID and RSV.
As people begin to make holiday plans, and take the viruses' spread into consideration, here's the latest data on each virus in Illinois and the broader picture nationwide.
Read more here.
Masks Now Recommended in 12 Illinois Counties After Reaching ‘High' COVID Community Level
With cases increasing in Illinois as weather gets colder and residents return from holiday gatherings, 12 of the state's 102 counties have now reached a "high" community level, according to the CDC.
The data, which monitors the community COVID level in Illinois counties each week, showed 63 counties in Illinois at an elevated COVID community level.
Read more here.
FDA Announces Monoclonal Antibody Not Authorized Due to Inability to Fight Omicron
A year after the omicron variant of COVID-19 began to upend the world and start a new stage of the pandemic, several new subvariants have originated from the variant, with reaction to treatment changing along with the subvariants.
With the recent rise of the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. subvariants, one previously administered monoclonal antibody is no longer authorized for emergency use due to the medication's inability to neutralize the subvariants.
Read more here.
How Accurate Are COVID Tests? Here's What to Know About At-Home Virus Detection
If you are trying to figure out if you have COVID, you probably turn to taking an at-home COVID test. But how accurate are they?
The Food and Drug Administration says at-home COVID antigen tests are expected to detect the virus at least 80% of the time when the user is infected. So if you take one and get a positive result, you can assume it's accurate and you are infected.
But if you take a test in the early stages of your infection, especially if you are not exhibiting any symptoms, the test can produce a false negative result, the FDA notes. That means the test may not have detected the virus in the sample, but you could very well still have it -- and spread it.
Read more here.
