While the coronavirus has receded in the U.S., cases are soaring in the United Kingdom, where scientists are also keeping an eye on a new hybrid strain - the XE variant.
Meanwhile, a new law is expected to be signed in Illinois giving vaccinated teachers who get COVID paid time off.
Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic across Illinois today:
What is the XE COVID Variant and Where Has it Been Detected So Far?
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A new hybrid COVID variant known as XE spreading in the United Kingdom is making headlines, but what exactly is it and why are health officials taking note?
Here's a look at what we know so far.
Vaxxed Teachers to Get Paid COVID-19 Time Off Under Bill Pritzker Plans to Sign Tuesday
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Handing a win to the Chicago Teachers Union, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday is planning to sign into law a measure that will allow fully vaccinated teachers and other school employees to take COVID-19 related paid time off without burning up sick days.
Pritzker vetoed a similar version of the bill shortly after the January standoff between the CTU and Chicago Public Schools, saying then that he needed revised language to ensure the agreement would only apply to vaccinated employees.
The compromise bill that passed the Legislature last week will also return COVID-19 related sick days to vaccinated employees who had to use them earlier in the school year.
Read more here.
COVID Symptoms in Children: Here's Are Signs for Parents to Look Out For
With children heading back to school following spring break vacations and some still unable to get vaccinated against COVID-19, many parents are wondering what symptoms they should be aware of in kids.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children have similar symptoms to adults, and in many cases experience milder illness.
"While children are as likely to get COVID-19 as adults, kids are less likely to become severely ill," the Mayo Clinic reports. "Up to 50% of children and adolescents might have COVID-19 with no symptoms. However, some children with COVID-19 need to be hospitalized, treated in the intensive care unit or placed on a ventilator to help them breathe."
Read more here.
Here's How the XE COVID Variant Differs From Others, According to a Chicago Scientist
While the coronavirus has receded in the U.S., cases are soaring in the United Kingdom, where scientists are also keeping an eye on a new hybrid strain - the XE variant.
XE, which consists of material from BA.1, the original omicron strain, and its subvariant BA.2, first surfaced in mid-January. More than 600 cases in the U.K. have been confirmed since then, according to health officials.
Early studies show XE could be more transmissible than the highly-contagious BA.2 subvariant, by as much as 10%. However, further studies are needed, according to the World Health Organization.
Find the complete story here.
Illinois COVID Cases Have Increased Nearly 10% in Last Week While Testing Has Declined
While COVID cases in the state of Illinois remain relatively low, there has been a noticeable upward trend in numbers in recent days, with the state now reporting a 10% increase in daily cases over the last week.
According to the latest figures from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the state is now averaging 1,272 new probable and confirmed COVID cases per day over the last seven days. That represents a 10% increase over a week ago, when the state was averaging 1,157 cases per day.
On Monday, the state reported that it has received reports of 756 new COVID cases, bringing the state’s total to just over 3.07 million during the pandemic.
While case numbers and positivity rates, which have inched upward to 1.9%, have been on a slow upward climb, deaths and hospitalizations have remained stable. Zero new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, leaving the state with 33,400 fatalities related to COVID during the pandemic.
Additional details are available here.
What to Know About XE Variant, Hybrid COVID Strain First Discovered in U.K.
A new hybrid COVID variant, XE, might be the fastest-spreading strain yet, according to preliminary research, but studies are underway to determine the exact contagiousness of the variant.
XE was first detected in mid-January in the United Kingdom, where more than 600 cases have been reported since then, according to the UK's Health Security Agency.
Read the full story here.
COVID vs. Allergies: Here's How to Tell the Difference
With pollen sweeping the air and COVID variants lingering around, it can be difficult to identify the culprit behind the sneeze. So, how can you tell the difference between the two?
Experts say the only real way to know the answer is to take a test, but until then, health officials say to treat any possible symptoms as COVID.
Here’s a list of COVID and allergy symptoms as outlined by the CDC.
XE Variant: New COVID Strain May be More Contagious Than BA.2 Subvariant, WHO Says
The more contagious omicron subvariant BA.2 has become the dominant COVID-19 strain in the U.S., but international health experts are putting an increased focus on a new hybrid variant that may even be more infectious.
The XE variant is a recombinant, meaning it is comprised of genetic material from two other strains, which in this case are BA.1, the original strain of omicron, and BA.2, known as "stealth omicron."
According to an epidemiological update published March 29 by the World Health Organization, estimates show XE is 10% more transmissible than BA.2, however the findings require further confirmation.
Read more here.
Coronavirus in Illinois: 8K New Cases, 87 Deaths in Last Week as Cases Slightly Climb
Illinois health officials reported 8,426 new COVID-19 cases over the past week, along with 87 additional deaths, marking a small increase in cases following weeks of decline, but a continued decline in deaths.
The previous week, the state reported 8,039 and 109 deaths. The week before that, 7,467 new cases and 123 deaths were reported.
In all, 3,069,650 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 33,394 confirmed COVID fatalities.
Read more here.
More Than 40% of High Schoolers Felt ‘Persistently' Sad, Hopeless During COVID Pandemic: CDC
A landmark study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than one-third of high school students said they experienced “poor mental health” during the COVID-19 pandemic, while nearly half said they felt “persistently” sad or hopeless over the last two years.
According to the survey, 44% of high school students said they felt “persistently sad or hopeless” during the COVID pandemic. Officials say 37% of students said they experienced poor mental health over the last year.
Read more here.
BA.2 Omicron Subvariant Is Dominant COVID Strain in Chicago, Top Doctor Says
The BA.2 omicron subvariant is accounting for more than half the COVID-19 cases across Chicago as of Thursday, as the city continues to monitor the widespread strain, according to the city's top doctor.
"Just as projected, we were estimating that approximately [by] the end of the month we would have seen the majority, meaning more than 50%, of our cases here in Chicago and in the Midwest, being that omicron BA.2," Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Thursday. "And in fact that's exactly where we are, 50.4%."
Read more here.
COVID Vaccine Booster Shots: What to Know as 4th Dose Approved for Some
Federal regulators have approved a second booster shot of the COVID vaccine, for certain groups, so who is now eligible and what can you expect with the fourth dose?
Here's a breakdown of what we know so far.
Chicago to Continue Monitoring BA.2 Omicron Subvariant, Seeing Uptick in COVID Cases
Chicago officials are continuing to monitor the BA.2 omicron subvariant as the city sees a "slight increase" in COVID-19 cases and test positivity over the past week, the health department said Wednesday.
Despite the uptick, the Chicago Department of Public Health said the city remains in "good control" over the outbreak after lifting mask and vaccine requirements about one month ago.
Read more here.
BA.2 Symptoms, Protection and More: What We Know as Omicron Subvariant Grows
News about the BA.2 omicron subvariant continues to grow as it becomes the dominant COVID strain not just in the Midwest but across the U.S., but what should you be watching for?
Experts say what happens in the next few weeks in the U.S. could be critical to whether or not the U.S. will follow in Europe's footsteps as several countries report outbreaks similar to levels seen during Chicago's omicron surge in January.
So what is BA.2, what are the symptoms associated with it, where has it been detected and how contagious is it? Here's a breakdown.
BA.2 ‘Stealth Omicron' Subvariant Now the Dominant COVID Strain in the Midwest: CDC
According to new estimates released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the BA.2 subvariant of COVID-19, otherwise known as “stealth omicron,” is now the dominant strain of the virus in the Midwest and in the United States.
The data, released Tuesday, reflects estimates of COVID cases diagnosed between March 19 and March 26, according to the CDC’s website.
Read more here.
FDA OKs Another Pfizer, Moderna COVID Booster for 50 and Up
U.S. regulators on Tuesday authorized another COVID-19 booster for people age 50 and older, a step to offer extra protection for the most vulnerable in case the coronavirus rebounds.
The Food and Drug Administration's decision opens a fourth dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to those people at least four months after their previous booster.
Read more here.
Illinois COVID Regions: Metrics Show Slight Upticks in Suburban Chicago Communities
While most of the state of Illinois is seeing stability or even downward trends in COVID metrics, several Chicago-area communities are seeing slight upticks in positivity rates in recent days.
According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the highest positivity rate among the state’s 11 health care regions is in Region 8, comprised of Kane and DuPage counties.
Read more here.
Illinois to Stop COVID Testing at 10 State Sites
Citing a "sharp drop in the demand for COVID-19 testing services," Illinois' health department announced plans to stop operating such sites in the state at the end of the month.
According to health officials, the sites are running "less than 1 percent of the tests being conducted statewide."
"The number of daily tests conducted at these sites is on track to be the lowest on record with each site seeing fewer than 50 individuals per day, according to IDPH data G," the health department states. "Given the availability of free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government, the statewide network of federally qualified health centers and the extensive number of SHIELD saliva testing sites throughout Illinois, there are ample, convenient opportunities for Illinois residents to obtain access to a test if needed."
The department said the state is "currently strongly positioned to respond to a potential surge," however.
The 10 locations will stop operating for testing, vaccinations or both after March 31. Locations include: Aurora, Arlington Heights, South Holland, Fairview Heights, Peoria, Bloomington, Champaign, Harwood Heights, Rockford and Waukegan.
How Much More Transmissible is BA.2 Than Omicron? Here's What Doctors Say
As the BA.2 omicron subvariant spreads in parts of the U.S., some are wondering about its transmissibility, specifically if BA.2 is more contagious than the original omicron strain.
BA.2 has been steadily growing as a proportion of the COVID variants circulating in the U.S. since Feb. 5, when it represented about 1% of genetically sequenced virus samples, according to data published this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Though BA.2 is rising in the U.S., leading public health officials are not expecting another dramatic surge in cases, largely due to the level of immunity from vaccination and the fierce outbreak during the winter omicron wave.
Read more here.
How Long Should You Quarantine With COVID? Here’s What the CDC Recommends
As coronavirus cases start to tick upward in some parts of the United States, residents are seeking out reminders of what to do in the event that they are exposed to someone who tests positive for COVID-19.
The BA.2 subvariant of omicron is driving upward trends in cases in numerous locations, including in the Midwest. According to the latest data from the CDC, the omicron variant is still the dominant strain of the virus in the U.S., with the BA.2 subvariant, otherwise known as “stealth omicron,” making up approximately 35% of cases in the last week.
In the Midwest, the BA.2 subvariant is estimated to be responsible for more than 30% of new COVID cases within the last week.
So what should you do if you are exposed to someone with COVID? It depends on whether or not you are up-to-date on your vaccinations. Here's what you need to know.
Chicago Travel Advisory: COVID Precautions Advised in 9% of US Under New Guidance
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Friday urged COVID-19 precautions in areas of the country considered medium or high risk by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as it unveiled new travel advisory recommendations to align with federal guidelines.
CDPH issued a news release, explaining it adjusted Chicago's travel advisory to match the CDC's county level guidance, which gives more weight to hospitalizations and hospital capacity, rather that strictly case numbers. Under the new protocols, counties are either considered low, medium or high risk for COVID transmission.
In medium risk areas, people should "consider wearing a mask in indoor public spaces," according to health officials. While in communities deemed high risk, people are advised to wear a mask in such settings.
Read more here.
What are the Symptoms of the Omicron Subvariant BA.2? Here's What Experts Say So Far
Months after the U.S. experienced a surge in cases of the omicron variant, focus has turned to different strain - BA.2, a subvariant of omicron, also referred to as "stealth omicron."
BA.2 captured attention as it spawned a rise in infections in Europe earlier this month, and in recent weeks, case numbers have risen in New York City, where BA.2 appears to be on track to taking over as the dominant strain.
As of March 19, the subvariant accounted for nearly 35% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., a roughly 12% increase from the week prior, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In recent days, case numbers have also gone up in the Midwest.
According to the CDC, the BA.2 subvariant made up just over 30% of new COVID cases in a six-state area, including Illinois, over the week ending March 19.
The complete story can be found here.
