Coronavirus Vaccine News
The latest on the development and distribution of coronavirus vaccines, including when and how to get yours.
Chicago’s late-summer increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations — no matter how slight — serves as a reminder that the virus still packs a devastating punch for vulnerable communities, physicians say.
The site offers snapshots of COVID-19 transmission in communities around 75 wastewater treatment facilities in Illinois.
The mayor, who said she was asymptomatic, also came down with the virus in January.
“The bottom line is we have protection available. It’s just upon all of us now to make sure people use those tools,” the surgeon general said.
Within months, the government plans to stop footing the bill — and millions of the uninsured and seniors might have to pay full price. Experts say that means fewer people will get the potentially life-saving treatments.
Hospital admissions for COVID-19 have jumped more than 26% in the last week alone, putting them on pace to hit numbers not seen since mid-February.
If you haven’t had your COVID-19 fall 2022 booster, now is the time, Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said.
Though not much is known about the newest coronavirus strains, experts say the bivalent booster should offer some protection. Here’s what you should know.
Only 13% of eligible Chicagoans have gotten the latest COVID-19 booster, which is recommended for everyone 5 and older.
The Boost Up campaign will run ads throughout suburban Cook County highlighting the triple-threat danger of COVID-19, the flu and RSV.
“We are not where we need to be as a city, in people getting that fall 2022 booster,” a costumed Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said.
Illinois has reported an average of 2,482 new cases per day over the past week, a 32% decline compared to a month ago.
An Austin community center for LGBTQ youth of color will host the event, which will be open to anyone. Organizers hope it will foster goodwill among the broader Austin community.
After lifting the statewide school mask mandate at the end of February and lifting vaccination requirements on college campuses earlier this summer, the Democratic governor called it the latest part of his plan “to carefully unwind the state’s COVID-19 executive orders.”
Government health officials said Tuesday that, unless another variant emerges, it’s likely that coronavirus boosters will become a yearly thing, much like flu shots.
The city already has been allocated about 150,000 doses of the updated vaccines, and more than 130 pharmacies in Chicago are expected to receive doses this week.
The FDA today authorized the new booster, which could arrive as early as next week in Chicago, where nearly 2 million residents are expected to be eligible.
The risk level was downgraded because Cook County’s case rate has fallen below the threshold of 200 cases per 100,000 residents for the last week — but just barely so.
With transmission considered medium or high in 94 Illinois counties, residents are being urged to mask up when gathering indoors in 92% of the state.
Hospital admissions have more than doubled since mid-April, following a steady increase in cases since the early spring — a trend playing out in most other parts of the country, too.
“I know everyone wants COVID to be over,” said Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady. “Unfortunately, we continue to see the COVID virus itself mutate quickly, with new, more contagious subvariants emerging every few weeks.”
From how to prepare your kids to where to get vaccinated, the Sun-Times answers parents’ questions.
U.S. kids under 5 — roughly 18 million youngsters — are eligible for the shots.
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