Mercyhealth health care system agreed to pay over $1 million to employees and offered to reinstate employees after the company terminated workers for refusing to comply with its COVID-19 vaccine policy for religious reasons.

A Georgia man who had blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal has been identified as the shooter who opened fire late Friday on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters, killing a police officer.

Scientists are using mRNA for more than infectious disease vaccines, with researchers around the world exploring its use for cancer immunotherapies

Some doctors and public health leaders called the move concerning and confusing

Annual COVID-19 shots for healthy younger adults and children will no longer be routinely approved under a major new policy shift unveiled Tuesday by the Trump administration

The Trump administration’s effort to impose new requirements on Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine — the nation’s only traditional protein-based option for the coronavirus — is sowing uncertainty about updates to other vaccines, too

The Will County Health Department has the new 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine is now available at 3 clinics across the county.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is reminding the public that along with fall, October brings the start of the traditional respiratory virus season.

DeKalb County COVID-19 hospitalizations are on the rise, warned area health officials this week amid a statewide uptick in Illinois hospitalizations related to respiratory illnesses, which also include RSV and the flu.

Saying it would send the wrong message, Kane County Board members shunned a proclamation this week supporting residents who choose not to get a COVID-19 vaccination.

Back to school means back to the doctor for some, as three viral respiratory illnesses – influenza, RSV and COVID-19 – are again expected to dominate seasonal sickness trends this year, and area health officials say to expect an uptick in October.

When the U.S. ended its COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, it changed the way hospitals are supplied with vaccine doses. CGH Medical Center's order of 50 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine currently is on backorder.

The fall season has generally seen an uptick in cases during the pandemic. That's true this year so far, but to a lesser extent.

On the heels of federal regulators approving updated COVID-19 vaccines last week, medical providers and retail pharmacies are in the midst of a mass rollout of shots.

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday endorsed the new shots for everyone 6 months of age and older. The agency’s director is expected to sign off on the panel’s recommendation. The vaccines could be available this week.

The coronavirus shots target an omicron variant named XBB.1.5. That specific strain is no longer dominant but it’s close enough to coronavirus strains causing most COVID-19 illnesses today that FDA determined it would offer good cross-protection.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is continuing to closely watch COVID-19 data and monitor other respiratory viruses, particularly flu and RSV, ahead of the fall and winter seasons.

Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration's scientific advisers reviewed whether the next round of shots in the U.S. should only include protection against the newest variants that are now dominant worldwide — a branch of the omicron family tree named XBB.

As of Thursday night, 404 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19, the fewest since July 4, 2021. Of those, 46 patients were in the ICU, the fewest since the start of the pandemic.

As of Thursday night, 475 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 49 patients were in the ICU, the first time the state has been under 50 COVID-19 patients in the ICU since the start of the pandemic.

Both IDPH and the Illinois Department on Aging have endorsed action this week by both the FDA and the CDC to simplify their recommendations for COVID-19 vaccinations

As of Thursday night, 568 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19, the fewest since April 19, 2022

Weekly COVID-19 deaths as reported by the IDPH are at their lowest since the beginning of the pandemic. But wastewater surveillance suggests COVID-19 is back on the rise after months of decline.

The counties at medium COVID-19 risk in northern Illinois are: Ogle, Lee, Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago and Boone.

The continuous enrollment program ends March 31, meaning Medicaid users must renew or risk being uninsured. In Illinois, the first notices go out in May for people with coverage due for renewal in June.

The one county in the state at “high” risk is Clay County in southeastern Illinois. None of the eight counties at “medium” risk are in northern Illinois.

IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra warned that cases of group A strep throat leading to severe complications are on the rise in Illinois, with more cases reported in 2023 than in any of the past five years.

As of Thursday night, 921 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 113 patients were in the ICU and 41 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators

Two of the 20 counties in the state at medium COVID-19 risk are in northern Illinois: Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties in northwestern Illinois.

None of the 19 counties at medium COVID-19 risk are in northern Illinois. But new hospital admission for COVID-19 are up from a week ago.

As of Thursday night, 834 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 100 patients were in the ICU and 34 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced that zero counties are considered at “high” risk for COVID-19, down from three a week ago. An additional 20 counties are at “medium” risk, down from 25 last week.

The U.S. is poised to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like a yearly flu shot, a major shift in strategy despite a long list of questions about how to best protect against a still rapidly mutating virus.

The proposal comes as boosters have become a hard sell. While more than 80% of the U.S. population has had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, only 16% of those eligible have received the latest boosters authorized in August.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced that three counties are considered at “high” risk for COVID-19, down from 28 a week ago. An additional 56 counties are at “medium” risk, up from 45 last week.

A new highly contagious and ominously dubbed the “Kraken” subvariant of COVID-19 is driving infections in the northeastern part of the country and showing up in greater numbers in Illinois as well.

The University of Illinois has removed its COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements for all students and employees, system President Tim Killeen announced

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday that 28 counties are considered at “high” risk for COVID-19, up from just five a week ago.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday that five counties are considered a “high” risk for COVID-19, down from 33 a week ago. An additional 49 counties are at “medium” risk, down from 55 last week.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday that 33 counties are considered a “high” risk for COVID-19, down from 43 a week ago. An additional 55 counties are at “medium” risk, up from 43 last week.

As of late Monday, Illinois had 1,825 COVID-19 patients in the hospital, the most since Feb. 12. Of those, 211 were in intensive care units, and 68 were on ventilators.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday that 43 of the state’s counties are considered “high” risk for COVID-19, up from 29 a week ago. An additional 43 counties are at "medium" risk.

As of late Wednesday, Illinois had 1,704 COVID-19 patients in the hospital, the most since February 14. Of those, 223 were in intensive care units, the most since February 23, and 60 were on ventilators.

As of late Thursday, Illinois had 1,582 COVID-19 patients in the hospital. Of those, 188 were in intensive care units, and 69 were on ventilators.

Illinois is averaging 153 new COVID-19 hospitalizations per day statewide, levels that have not been seen since the middle of February

As of late Thursday, Illinois had 1,509 COVID-19 patients in the hospital, the most since August 15. Of those, 161 were in intensive care units, and 51 were on ventilators.

As of late Monday, Illinois had 1,418 COVID-19 patients in the hospital, an increase of more than 100 patients from the previous day and the most since August 18.

As of late Sunday, Illinois had 1,317 COVID-19 patients in the hospital, the most since September 9

More than 1.7 million people in Illinois have received the new bivalent COVID-19 booster dose since it was authorized.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Thursday that more than 1.5 million Illinois residents have received a bivalent COVID-19 booster since they became available in early September.