il covid update

Chicago’s top doctor said the question of whether or not the omicron variant will mark the end of the coronavirus pandemic isn’t quite as cut and dry as many would like it to be.

As Chicago sees early signs of decline from the omicron surge, with officials in both the city and Illinois saying a peak has been reached, what will that mean for vaccine mandates and other COVID restrictions in the city?

Chicago has officially reached the peak of the omicron COVID variant, the city’s top doctor announced Wednesday, though she noted the city is “a long way from being out of the woods.”

Illinois COVID hospitalizations peaked roughly one week ago, according to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who said he is cautiously optimistic about a decline in metrics, but that the state is still facing heightened metrics.

Chicago has officially reached the peak of the omicron COVID variant, the city’s top doctor announced Wednesday, though she noted the city is “a long way from being out of the woods.”

With news centered currently around surging omicron cases, many are wondering what happened to the delta COVID variant that had been the dominant strain in the U.S. for several months?

Here are the top headlines you need to know as you start your day on Jan. 19, 2022.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is set to give a COVID-19 update for Illinois Wednesday afternoon.

Cook County health officials will give an update Wednesday on whether or not COVID restrictions will be tightened as the county sees coronavirus metrics rise.

More than 80 counties in Illinois have expanded COVID vaccine eligibility to state residents 16 years and older, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Chicago’s top doctor said Thursday that the average number of new COVID-19 cases in the city is rising, giving some insight into what officials believe is driving the spread as she noted that current increases are different from previous surges in some aspects .

The average number of new COVID-19 cases diagnosed each day in Chicago was up 45% this week from the previous week, data shows, as the city’s top doctor warned Thursday that the metrics were “heading the wrong way.”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday pointed to young adults in four specific neighborhoods as driving the city’s “troubling” increase in coronavirus cases. NBC 5’s Kate Chappell reports.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday pointed to young adults in four specific neighborhoods as driving the city’s “troubling” increase in coronavirus cases.

A look back at the top news headlines for this week in news with Chris Hush.

Gatherings involving young people, possibly in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, could be behind the rising coronavirus metrics being reported in Chicago this week, the city’s top doctor said Thursday.

Chicago’s coronavirus metrics have shown “worrying increases” in recent weeks, officials said Thursday, noting that “most alarmingly,” the daily number of new COVID cases in the city has risen into the “high risk” category due to five straight days of increases.

Chicago has announced changes to its reopening plan as the city faces “worrying increases” in COVID health metrics and aims to prevent “a third surge of the virus in Chicago.”

As coronavirus metrics continue to climb across Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday that the city cannot continue to reopen if numbers further increase.

Chicago’s latest ordinance announced Wednesday says employers cannot take adverse action against an employee for taking time off to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, providing similar worker protection to last May’s coronavirus legislation.