COVID-19 Vaccine

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.

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.