College Testing Request, ‘Kraken’ Variant, Alert Ranges – NBC Chicago

As college students return from winter break, issues surrounding a brand new COVID variant has some asking for extra testing.

Here is what else it’s essential to know concerning the coronavirus pandemic throughout Illinois at present.

CPS Asks College students, Employees to “Please Check For COVID Earlier than Returning to College” Monday

As Chicago Public Faculties resumes Monday following winter break, directors are bracing a doable surge in COVID circumstances by asking college students and workers to “please take a look at for COVID-19 earlier than returning college,” a message posted to CPS’ web site says.

“So as to preserve our college communities protected, please take a look at for COVID-19 earlier than returning to high school,” a post titled “Essential Word For Households Relating to Winter Break” reads.

Learn extra here.

New XBB.1.5 Variant, Return to College Gasoline Worries About Put up-Vacation COVID Spike

Considerations have emerged about the potential of a post-holiday COVID surge fueled by a brand new variant, current giant gatherings and the return to the classroom following winter break.

Whereas will increase in COVID circumstances have occurred in different components of the U.S., weekly case numbers, hospital admissions and weekly deaths declined in current days throughout Illinois, in keeping with information from the Illinois Division of Public Well being. Throughout the state, 26 counties are at “excessive” group stage standing, as outlined by the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.

Learn extra here.

College of Illinois Removes COVID-19 Vaccine, Testing Necessities

The College of Illinois has eliminated its COVID-19 vaccination and testing necessities for all college students and staff, system President Tim Killeen introduced.

“We do, nevertheless, strongly advocate that you simply keep updated with the newest vaccine or booster out there as a barrier to critical sickness,” Killeen stated, The News-Gazette reported Friday.

Unvaccinated college students and staff on the college’s campuses had been required to maintain up a daily testing schedule.

Learn extra here.

What’s the ‘Kraken’ Variant? What We Know Concerning the New COVID Variant So Far

You will have heard a few so-called “kraken” variant circulating proper now, however what precisely is it and why is being known as that?

The nickname refers back to the XBB.1.5 variant, which has rapidly turn into the dominant COVID pressure within the U.S.

However why the “kraken” variant?

Learn extra here.

73 Illinois Counties at ‘Excessive’ COVID-19 Group Stage as Instances Climb From Final Week

In keeping with Illinois well being officers, 73 of the state’s 102 counties are actually at an elevated COVID-19 group stage in keeping with CDC information, marking a rise from 65 counties from information launched final week.

Of the counties at an elevated stage, 28 are at a “excessive” group stage and 45 counties are at a “medium” group stage. All the counties within the Chicago space stay at a “medium” stage.

Illinois well being officers are reporting 16,281 new possible and confirmed circumstances of COVID-19 within the week ending on Jan. 1, with 20 further deaths.

Learn extra here.

Complete Chicago Space Below ‘Medium’ COVID Alert Stage

Within the newest information launched from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, the complete Chicago space sits below the “medium” COVID alert stage.

The CDC’s weekly up to date group ranges have been launched Thursday.

At “medium” standing, anybody at excessive danger of getting critically sick ought to put on a high-quality masks or respirator, reminiscent of an N95, when in public indoors. Moreover, you probably have contact with another person at excessive danger, contemplate self-testing to detect an infection earlier than contact, in keeping with the CDC.

Here is What Individuals With Lengthy COVID Must Know About Navigating Well being Insurance coverage

Navigating the medical health insurance system is commonly tough and overwhelming, even in the most effective of occasions. For patients with long COVID, a comparatively new situation that ceaselessly leaves sufferers with a prolonged and unpredictable checklist of debilitating signs, it may be particularly nightmarish.

“Even in case you stay on the identical [health insurance] plan you had earlier than COVID, you’ll in all probability make the most of the health-care system extra, whether or not it’s extra workplace visits, extra prescription medicines or much more medical units,” stated Caitlin Donovan, a spokesperson for the Nationwide Affected person Advocate Basis.

Certainly, almost half of individuals with lengthy COVID reported increased medical expenses, in keeping with a current survey performed by the Affected person Advocate Basis.

Learn extra here.

US Now Requires Individuals Touring From China to Take COVID-19 Check: CDC

The U.S. introduced new COVID-19 testing necessities final week for all vacationers from China, becoming a member of different nations imposing restrictions due to a surge of infections. These measures took impact Thursday.

The rise in circumstances throughout China follows the rollback of the nation’s strict anti-virus controls. China’s “zero COVID” insurance policies had stored the nation’s an infection price low however fueled public frustration and crushed financial progress.

The brand new U.S. necessities, which began Jan. 5, apply to vacationers no matter their nationality and vaccination standing.

Learn extra here.

Damar Hamlin’s Collapse Spurs New Wave of Vaccine Misinformation On-line

Unfounded claims concerning the security of COVID-19 vaccines proliferated within the hours and days after Buffalo Payments security Damar Hamlin collapsed throughout Monday’s recreation, revealing how pervasive vaccine misinformation stays three years after the pandemic started.

Even earlier than Hamlin was carried off the sector in Cincinnati, posts amassing 1000’s of shares and thousands and thousands of views started circulating on-line claiming with out proof that issues from COVID-19 vaccines precipitated his well being emergency.

Learn extra here.

New COVID Variant XBB 1.5 Rapidly Rising in Dominance. Here is Why That Issues

The brand new, highly-contagious COVID variant XBB.1.5 is already the dominant variant within the U.S., with its numbers greater than doubling every week for the final month.

Monitoring numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that, as of Saturday, the XBB.1.5 variant now makes up greater than 40% of circumstances within the U.S. 4 weeks in the past, that quantity was simply 3.7%.

Learn extra here.

Are Signs Altering With New COVID Variant Rising? Here is What Chicago’s High Doc Stated

The Covid omicron XBB.1.5 variant has almost doubled in prevalence over the previous week and now represents about 41% of latest circumstances within the U.S., in keeping with CDC information.

As a brand new, extra contagious COVID-19 variant rapidly features prevalence regionally and nationally, many are questioning if the XBB.1.5 strain presents new signs than earlier strains of the virus.

Whereas the variant continues to be presenting signs which have been famous to be in keeping with COVID-19 because the onset of the pandemic, Arwady famous that flu-like signs will not be as prevalent with XBB.1.5, significantly for many who are vaccinated and boosted.

Learn extra here.

New COVID Variant XBB.1.5: What It Is, Signs and What You Ought to Know

The COVID omicron XBB.1.5 variant is quickly changing into dominant within the U.S. as a result of it’s extremely immune evasive and seems simpler at binding to cells than associated subvariants, scientists say.

A new COVID variant, marking a fusion between two current strains that’s much more contagious than its predecessors, is starting to take maintain within the U.S., however what precisely is it, how critical is it and what are the signs?

Here’s a look at what we know so far and what experts are saying.