The US and CDC has taken a giant leap forward in ensuring all individuals have access to the 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine by launching the Bridge Access Program. The Bridge Access Program offers a lifeline to adults without health insurance and those whose insurance doesn't cover the total cost of COVID-19 vaccines.
As autumn approaches, the need to stay vigilant against respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, Influenza, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) remains critical. Fortunately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) have recently approved new vaccines to safeguard the U.S. population from these potentially deadly viral illnesses.
As with other diseases, you can improve your resistance to COVID-19 when you stay up to date with the recommended vaccines and boosters. Boosters can help restore protection that has diminished since a previous vaccination.
This year will mark the third flu season with COVID-19 still circulating. Both viruses can cause health problems ranging from mild symptoms to illnesses requiring hospitalization and medical support measures. Likewise, both illnesses can also be deadly for the most susceptible individuals, such as those with chronic health conditions or compromised immune systems. Learn how you can stay healthy.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced up to $3.7 million in grants are available for communities outside of Cook County to address and implement COVID-19 health equity strategies.
As of April 14, 2022, an Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) news release reports that COVID-19 case rates are slowly rising in many areas of the state. IDPH encourages all Illinoisans to pay close attention to conditions in their local communities and stay up to date on their vaccination status.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced today that in response to a sharp drop in the demand for COVID-19 testing services at the ten Community-Based Testing Sites and the anticipated end of federal funding, operations at the locations will end on March 31. IDPH previewed that operations would be winding down when the mask mandate was lifted and has seen traffic at the sites – which carried out more than 1.5 million tests in total throughout their operation – drop precipitously in recent weeks. The sites are currently handling less than one percent of the tests being conducted statewide.
As a new COVID-19 treatment rolls out across the country, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) continues to distribute these life-saving therapeutics equitably across the state. On February 11, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization for a new monoclonal antibody, bebtelovimab, for the treatment of COVID-19.
With statewide COVID-19 hospitalization rates declining faster than any other point in the pandemic, Illinois is on track to lift the statewide indoor mask requirement on Monday, February 28, 2022. Mask requirements will continue where federally mandated, such as on public transit and in high-risk settings including healthcare facilities and congregate care.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) continues to urge people to get vaccinated and boosted as it marks the two-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 case reported in Illinois. Two years later, IDPH is reporting more than 30,000 COVID-19 deaths in Illinois.