Are masks coming back? There are renewed calls for a wider mask mandate across Illinois as covid numbers have begun to spike again as the year nears its end. The Illinois Department of Public Health has recommended that hospital patients and officials begin wearing masks to minimize the spread of covid and other viruses. In a news release, health officials said that IDPH supports the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation of facility-wide masking at healthcare facilities that are in counties rated at high levels for COVID-19 hospitalizations or per facility discretion in... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Covid-19 numbers are starting to spike again in Illinois, as this week, the state was seeing an average of 5,154 new cases per day over the last seven days, IDPH data revealed. That represents an increase of 41.6% in the last week, climbing from 3,639 cases per day as of last Monday. Over the last month, daily case rates in the state have increased by more than 180%, according to IDPH data. While hospitalizations had been flat going into the spring, they’ve leapt over the past couple of weeks. They jumped 21 percent last week. There are 777 hospitalized patients in the state that... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Could Illinois be in danger of having to mask up again as covid begins to rise in some areas of the state? Businesses, schools, and people in general have been happy but cautious since the statewide mask mandate was lifted Feb. 28, but as covid-19 numbers decline overall statewide, some parts of the state are seeing numbers spike up again and some are in the high risk transmission area that could see local officials tell those Illinois residents to mask up again. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has ruled out returning to a statewide mask mandate as long as covid numbers remain at low levels.... Read More

Illinois once again saw its covid numbers skyrocket to a new record, as shutdowns of schools and businesses are starting to seep through the state, and vaccination mandates are coming to the northern part of the state, prompting speculation about another statewide shutdown. For the third time in a week, Illinois covid numbers set a new record high. Almost 19,000 more new cases of covid were confirmed over the last 24 hours, according to figures from the Illinois Department of Public Health, whose data showed 18,942 cases of the virus were diagnosed. The seven day average for the state covid infection... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois decimated the record for single-day cases of covid over the past 24 hours and the last week, as harsher covid restrictions were announced for Chicago and Northern Illinois counties, more schools and events were postponed, and officials hinted at harsher restrictions coming statewide. Illinois’ one-day covid infection record was shattered yesterday as 18,942 new cases were diagnosed in the last 24 hours, ripping past the old record of 16, 581 set all the way back on Wednesday. The statewide average on cases is 12,573 per day over the past seven days — also a new... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois covid numbers have ripped up another 20 percent over the past week, omicron is surging around Chicago, statewide healthcare officials are pleading people to be cautious as hospitals are overwhelmed, and events cancellations continue as the possibility of another statewide shutdown looms. Health officials in Cook County, which encompasses Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, are warning that “suspected cases of the omicron variant are rising… and are likely to escalate quickly,” the health department said in a press release. “CCDPH is issuing Increased... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois covid numbers soared to record highs yesterday, with almost 12,000 new cases of the virus, record hospitalizations and deaths, and with more omicron cases being identified in the state, both Gov. JB Pritkzer and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot are talking about more restrictions being put in place. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 11,858 new confirmed and probable cases of covid over the last 24 hours, a record high for 2021, and the highest since Dec. 1, 2020, when 12,542 new cases were reported. The state is now averaging more than 8,000 new cases per day,... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: As Illinois covid-19 cases skyrocket, the omicron variant begins to spread across the state, and hospitalizations explode, Gov. JB Pritzker admitted that he is looking at stronger restrictions for the state. “We’re looking at everything that has been done over the last few years, always, but what we’re really focused on is making sure that people are following the masking requirements indoors,” Pritzker said during a press conference. “Thank you to all of you who are doing that.” When a reporter pressed Pritzker on stronger restrictions being implemented... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: The omicron covid variant has invaded Illinois, infecting at least one person in Chicago, prompting fears of a wide spread in the third-largest city in the United States and throughout Illinois, and spurring some to dread potential new restrictions hinted at by Gov. JB Pritzker, including requiring proof of vaccination to enter certain public spaces or activities. The Chicagoan infected by the omicron variant was both fully vaccinated with two shots and had gotten their third booster dose. They were tested at the hospital and dinged positive but did not require hospitalization and... Read More

BREAKING: Illinois covid-19 numbers exploded yesterday, almost doubling from the day before and posting the worst day for covid since Dec. 1, 2020, when 12,542 new cases of the virus were reported. As Illinois was getting the bad news, Gov. JB Pritzker reiterated that current restrictions are here to stay for the foreseeable future, and more restrictions could be coming as the state begins to see numbers hit the trigger markers for a potential shutdown. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 11,524 new confirmed and probable cases Thursday, based upon 231,876 tests conducted over the... Read More