COVID-19 variants

Dr. Kalisha Hill, regional chief medical officer at Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet and Ascension Saint Mary – Kankakee, feels that people who haven’t yet caught COVID-19 just might get it now.

Dr. Kalisha Hill, regional chief medical officer at Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet and Ascension Saint Mary – Kankakee, feels that people who haven’t – yet – caught COVID just might get it now.

Nearly half of all emergency room visits by school-aged children and young adults in Kane County hospitals are for flulike illnesses.

Illinois is set to receive 580,000 doses of a new updated COVID-19 booster after two variations of the shot were approved Wednesday, according to the state health department. As a result, some pharmacy chains are requiring customers to reschedule booster appointments.

As of Friday, DeKalb County remains at “high” risk for community transmission of COVID-19, according to the state health department. Indoor mask use is recommended for all regardless of vaccination status.

The omicron BA.5 subvariant is evading protection from prior infections and vaccinations. But it's causing less severe outcomes.

As of Friday, DeKalb County is back at “high” risk for community transmission of COVID-19, according to the state health department. Indoor mask use is recommended for all regardless of vaccination status.

As of Friday, DeKalb County is considered at “high” risk for community transmission of COVID-19, according to the IDPH. Indoor mask use is recommended for all regardless of vaccination status.

Parents seeking a COVID-19 vaccine for their children as young as five can now go to the DeKalb County Health Department without an appointment needed. DeKalb County reported three new virus-related deaths this week and 55.8 cases per 100,000 residents.

As of Friday, DeKalb County is considered at “medium” risk for community transmission of COVID-19, and as a result indoor mask use and updated vaccines or boosters are recommended, according to the state health department.

DeKalb County residents have a chance to get free rapid COVID-19 tests, one per household family member, from the DeKalb County Health Department until supplies run out, according to a Wednesday announcement.

More than 350 additional COVID-19 vaccination doses were administered to DeKalb County residents over the weekend, according to state data updated Monday. Reported virus activity rose slightly.

Vaccination rates continue to climb slightly in DeKalb County as a weekly average of 144 was reported Friday, according to state data.

Vaccination rates and regional hospitalization metrics remained relatively unchanged over the past 24 hours in DeKalb County’s health region, according to state data Thursday.

DeKalb County’s weekly vaccination rate average is up, while reported virus positivity rates and hospitalizations remained flat Wednesday, according to state data.

Nearly 100 more COVID-19 boosters were administered to DeKalb County residents over the past 24 hours, according to state data Tuesday.

COVID-19 vaccinations rose over the weekend in DeKalb County, according to updated state data Monday, which reported more than 380 additional vaccine doses administered in the county since Friday.

Regional hospitalizations related to COVID-19 fell slightly in the past 24 hours, according to state data updated Friday, which shows a weekly average of 22 patients in regional hospitals due to the virus.

COVID-19-related hospitalizations remained flat in DeKalb County over the past 24 hours, according to state data.

New vaccinations in DeKalb County have slowed as COVID-19 hospitalizations and reported cases remain low, according to state data.

Hospital bed availability in DeKalb County’s health region fell by more than 10 beds over the past 24 hours, according to state data, which also reported positivity rates in DeKalb County remained flat.

Hospital bed availability in DeKalb County’s health region rose over the weekend, according to state data, which reports 44 out of 138 ICU beds are available throughout the region.

Hospital bed availability in DeKalb County’s dipped on Friday, according to state data, which also reported a slight rise in local COVID-19 virus case positivity rate.

Hospital bed availability in DeKalb County’s increased again Thursday, according to state data, which also reported a slight rise in local COVID-19 virus case positivity rate.

Wednesday marks two years since the DeKalb County Health Department reported the first case of COVID-19 in a resident in 2020. Several smaller communities in the county report fewer than half its populations are fully vaccinated, state data shows.

Health officials reported nine new COVID-19 cases within DeKalb County over the past 24 hours, according to state data.

Health officials reported 27 new COVID-19 cases from over the weekend as DeKalb County’s positivity rate remains below 2%, according to state data. Case data doesn't include results from at-home testing.

The number of long-term care facilities in DeKalb County that have reported COVID-19 activity in the past month is down to four, according to state health data.

Over the past 24 hours, the number of available intensive care unit hospital beds doubled within the health region which includes DeKalb County, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Health officials reported nine new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours as DeKalb County’s positivity rate remains below 2%.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 21 new residents became fully vaccinated over the past 24 hours, while 16 more booster shots were administered in the county.

According to state data, 51 more DeKalb County residents became fully vaccinated over the weekend.

As reported COVID-19 cases dip in DeKalb County, state data shows the vaccination rate for the county – which reports 58% of its population is fully vaccinated as of Friday – has also slowed within the past month.

Another DeKalb County resident died from COVID-19, according to state data reported Thursday, bringing the death toll to 193.

According to state data, 145,902 total vaccine doses have been administered to DeKalb County residents and 58,057 residents – or 57.8% of the county’s population of 100,420 – have been fully vaccinated.

Another DeKalb County resident died from COVID-19, according to state health officials Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 192.

Another DeKalb County resident died from COVID-19, according to state health officials Monday, bringing the death toll to 191, while reported virus cases continue to decline.

DeKalb County reported 21 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, with no new additional deaths.

Two more DeKalb County residents died from COVID-19 as of Thursday, bringing the total death toll to 191, according to state data.

Four communities in DeKalb County report fewer than half their residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to newly updated state ZIP code data.

DeKalb County reported its fewest daily recorded cases of COVID-19 so far in 2022 on Tuesday, marking the continued downturn of reported virus activity in the area. Case counts don’t include those identified through at-home testing, however.

Monday marked the first day of the statewide indoor mask mandate being lifted for most indoor spaces in Illinois. State data shows reported virus activity in DeKalb County continues to decline.

According to new data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DeKalb County’s community transmission of COVID-19 is low. New CDC guidance issued Friday says masks don't need to be required locally due to low virus transmission.

Another DeKalb County resident died from COVID-19, according to state health officials Thursday, bringing the death toll to 189 while reported virus cases continue to decline.

Half of the population living in the 60115 DeKalb zip code are now fully vaccinated, according to state data reported Wednesday. The DeKalb zip code area reports the fourth lowest vaccination rate in the county.

Reported cases of COVID-19 in DeKalb County and hospitalizations continued their decline over the holiday weekend, according to state data reported Tuesday.

Reported cases of COVID-19 in DeKalb County, although they don’t include at-home tests or results that might be delayed from state laboratories, are the lowest they’ve been since 2022 began, according to state data.

For the first time in weeks, the number of new COVID-19 cases reported in DeKalb County was fewer than 20, according to health data reported Thursday. Case data doesn't include at-home tests and may reflect delayed laboratory results, however.

About 57% of DeKalb County residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to new vaccination data released Wednesday by the state. In the DeKalb zip code, 49.78% are fully vaccinated, with 65.61% in Sycamore.

Statewide data shows a dip in DeKalb County’s COVID-19 positivity rate, though federal data shows community transmission of the virus is still high.