Those deaths will be captured in subsequent days.' IDPH did issue a caveat about those numbers, though, noting, 'Daily deaths reported on weekends and at the beginning of the week may be low as IDPH and local health departments move away from reviewing and processing COVID-19 death records over the weekend. READ MORE: Chicago Public Schools announces end to face mask mandate next week Sunday and Monday's zero reported deaths is the first time the state has reported no COVID-related deaths since July 25, 2021. IDPH reported 1,102 new cases and 30 deaths on Saturday, and 770 new cases and zero related deaths on Sunday. The video in the player above is from a previous report. Ngozi Ezike will bring her three-year tenure at the helm of the Illinois Department of Public Health to a close on March 14.ĬHICAGO (WLS) - Illinois public health officials reported 735 new COVID cases and no related deaths Monday. However, the CDC says current supplies of shots will still be shipped until September for 'exceptional' situations.Dr. Government distribution of current supplies is due to wind down this week in advance of the update, which will also mark the switchover to a traditional commercial market for vaccines. Updated vaccines are expected to be available by late September, the CDC said earlier this month, after the FDA requested that drugmakers begin producing new formulations targeting these kinds of XBB strains. It comes as health authorities have been racing to prepare for a new round of COVID-19 vaccinations this fall. COVID symptoms seem to never touch certain people - and researchers may have finally figured out why.'At this time, CDC's genomic surveillance indicates that the increase in infections is caused by strains closely related to the Omicron strains that have been circulating since early 2022,' said Conley. EG.5 is a descendant of the XBB.1.9.2 variant, with an additional mutation that might be helping it outcompete other strains. Largest among these XBB subvariants are infections grouped as the XBB.1.16, XBB.1.9.1, XBB.2.3, XBB.1.6 or EG.5 strains, which each make up between 10% and 15% of infections nationwide.Įxperts had previously singled out EG.5 as one of the fastest growing lineages worldwide. Instead, the CDC's recent projections estimate that a mix of descendants from the XBB variant that first drove infections last winter are now competing around the country. Unlike previous waves, no single variant has yet emerged this summer to dominate infections nationwide. They cautioned that there were considerable differences between models within the group, with some teams projecting an additional smaller peak elsewhere in the year. Projections have differed over what the coming months will hold.Īn ensemble of academic and federal modelers said last month that the 'main period of COVID19 activity is expected to occur in late fall and early winter over the next 2 years, with median peak incidence between November and mid January.'

has experienced increases in COVID-19 during the past three summers, so it's not surprising to see an uptick,' Conley said. In 2021, a sharp increase driven by the Delta variant saw hospitalizations surge by 20,029 more from June to July, reaching 32,850 hospitalized through July 24, 2021.

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