COVID-19

For the second consecutive week, no Illinois counties are at a “high” COVID-19 community level according to CDC data, as cases continue to decline statewide.

Here’s a look at what will stay and what will go once the emergency order is lifted.

President Joe Biden has informed Congress that he will end the twin national emergencies for addressing COVID-19 on May 11, as most of the world has returned closer to normalcy nearly three years after they were first declared. The move to end the national emergency and public health emergency declarations will formally restructure the federal coronavirus response to treat the...

Russia’s embassy in North Korea says the country has eased stringent epidemic controls in capital Pyongyang that were placed during the past five days to slow the spread of respiratory illnesses.

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday proposed a simplified approach for future vaccination efforts, allowing most adults and children to get a once-a-year shot to protect against the mutating virus.

Despite cases of the more contagious “Kraken” COVID-19 variant increasing in the Midwest, Illinois has seen a rather significant decline in new COVID cases over the past week, as well as improvements in counties’ community level status overall. According to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, as of Friday, a total of 28 counties Illinois were…

The head of the World Health Organization says the agency is “concerned about the risk to life in China” amid the coronavirus’ explosive spread across the country and the lack of outbreak data from the Chinese government.

As a new, more contagious COVID-19 variant quickly gains prevalence locally and nationally, many are wondering if the XBB.1.5 strain presents new symptoms than previous strains of the virus.

Dr. Allison Arwady, the Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health discussed the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday, focusing on the rapidly rising XBB.1.5 variant, NBC 5’s Patrick Fazio reports.

The CDC said the new COVID-19 variant is responsible for 75% of new cases.

Beijing blasted COVID-19 testing requirements imposed on passengers from China and threatened countermeasures against countries involved, which include the U.S. and several European nations.

XBB.1.5 now represents about 41% of new cases nationwide in the U.S., according to CDC data.

COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising in the United States, even as hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus and the flu continue to fall.

As holiday celebrations wrap up across the state and country, cases of COVID-19 in Illinois have substantially dropped since last week’s reporting according to the CDC, although a drop in testing over the holidays may have played a factor.

With New Year’s Eve around the corner following holiday gatherings this month, many who contracted COVID-19 might be wondering how long they could test positive.

The announcement from the CDC comes as China is seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases.

The scrapping of the quarantine requirement is a major step toward fully reopening travel with the rest of the world.

Millions of people worldwide have had long COVID, reporting various symptoms including fatigue, lung problems, and brain fog and other neurological symptoms.

With many Illinois families preparing for holiday celebrations, cases of COVID-19 remain at elevated levels across the state, with three Chicago-area counties now at a “high” COVID-19 community level, according to the CDC.

If Chicago reaches a “high” COVID alert level from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the city will issue a mask advisory, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Thursday, just ahead of the holiday weekend. NBC 5’s Jen DeSalvo reports.