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

It finally caught up with me, the jerk. For the last three years, I’ve been dodging covid. I’ve written about it, I’ve known dozens of people who have gotten it, and spent an entire week at home around my son 24/7 while he had it, and throughout it all, I never caught it. Until this week. It hit pretty hard and fast, and unexpectedly. I’m double-vaxxed, although didn’t get boosters, and I’m in pretty good health overall. I don’t have any mitigating factors, no diabetes or anything like that. I also like long walks on the beach, sushi, and good conversations... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Covid numbers are rampaging again across Illinois, causing individual business shutdowns in the Quad-Cities and elsewhere, as there’s increasing nervousness over bigger statewide shutdowns especially as fall school start dates loom. Thursday, Illinois reported its single-highest daily total of new COVID cases since late May, with 6,636 new probable and confirmed cases. In addition, people are testing positive for longer periods of time, and are becoming infected again after infections much more quickly. “I wouldn’t say the incubation period is shorter… it’s... 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 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: Illinois covid-19 cases are hitting the worst numbers they’ve seen over the last year, and with winter approaching and a new omicron variant rising worldwide, officials are looking at new restrictions for the state. Illinois reported 21,034 new COVID-19 cases since last Friday, along with 87 additional deaths and over 311,000 new vaccine doses administered, according to data released Friday from the Illinois Department of Public Health — an increase of almost 125 percent over the last month. Since the pandemic began, 1,784,900 cases of coronavirus have been reported in... Read More

An Illinois Junior High, Edison Junior High School in Rock Island, has been closed effective immediately due to a major spike in covid-19 cases, the Rock Island School District announced today. Edison will close for an adaptive pause due to an increase in positive cases of Covid-19, the announcement said. In an e-mail, the District didn’t mention the number of cases but did say there was a rapid spike in the number of both students and staff having contracted and in quarantine from covid cases and potential exposure. The decision to close the school was made after consultation with the Rock... Read More