‘Tripledemic’? Local medical experts urge vaccination as COVID, flu and RSV hospitalizations spike nationwide.The CDC is issuing an “urgent need” to raise vaccination coverage against all three viruses. December 18, 2023
As COVID numbers rise, public health officials call for vigilance against respiratory virusesIDPH also asks residents to skip holiday gatherings if they have symptoms of respiratory infections. November 22, 2023
Dr. Allison Arwady, who headed Chicago’s response to COVID-19, joining CDCDr. Allison Arwady’s dismissal was one of the most prominent personnel moves Mayor Brandon Johnson has made during his first six months in office. November 10, 2023
A continuing decline in sales of COVID-19 products clips revenue at PfizerPfizer losses were not as great as expected in the third quarter, but a continued decline in sales of its COVID-19 products clipped revenue. October 31, 2023
As Mayor Brandon Johnson invests in mental health, questions linger about funding for other public health crisesAs federal pandemic dollars dry up, mayor's spending decisions will help shape how prepared Chicago is should another significant public health crisis arise. October 30, 2023
Say goodbye to the COVID-19 vaccination card. The CDC has stopped printing themThe once-critical white COVID-19 vaccination cards are being phased out. October 04, 2023
What to know as fall vaccinations against COVID, flu and RSV get underwayUpdated COVID-19 vaccines may be getting a little easier for adults to find but they’re still frustratingly scarce for young children. September 28, 2023
Free COVID tests available again; Chicago hospitalizations riseThough Chicago remains at a “low” COVID-19 risk level, the city’s hospitalizations rose 30% last week, according to CDPH data. September 25, 2023
Biden administration announces $600M to produce COVID tests; will reopen website to order themThe Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is providing $600 million in funding to produce new at-home COVID-19 tests and is restarting a website allowing Americans to again order up to four free tests per household. September 20, 2023
New COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Chicago, experts answer questionsExperts and public health officials answer pressing questions about the new COVID-19 vaccine arriving in Chicago. September 15, 2023
Can you get the new COVID vaccine and the flu shot at the same time?Most Americans will be eligible for both the new monovalent COVID vaccine and the annual flu shot this fall. September 13, 2023
What to know about the new COVID booster shotsHere’s what to know before you roll up your sleeve for the new COVID booster shot. September 13, 2023
Updated COVID-19 vaccine available after CDC endorses shots Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the new COVID-19 shots for everyone 6 months and older. September 12, 2023
COVID vaccines may roll out within daysThe latest COVID-19 boosters are expected to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration as early as Monday. September 11, 2023
NorthShore-Edward-Elmhurst long COVID study will dig into treatment options. ‘I think a lot of people are really desperate’Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, the study will test up to 11 combinations of treatments for long COVID. September 11, 2023
First lady Jill Biden tests positive for COVID-19, but President Biden’s results negative so farFirst lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 Monday but is experiencing only mild symptoms, her spokeswoman said. September 05, 2023
An inside look at COVID’s lasting damage to the lungsMore than three years after the start of the pandemic, many COVID-19 survivors continue to struggle. Some, especially those who became so severely ill that they were hospitalized and unable to breathe on their own, face lasting lung damage. August 28, 2023
Chicago COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations on the rise; Northwestern team warns of undiagnosed long-COVID consequencesCity health officials say the rise doesn’t present an urgent threat to the public, but shows the coronavirus is still spreading and merits attention. August 25, 2023
Slight COVID-19 uptick in Chicago ‘not a major concern,’ former CDPH director saysLab-confirmed cases and hospitalizations are slightly up in Chicago and across the country. The small uptick is "not a major concern," the city's health commissioner said. August 12, 2023
COVID-19 hospitalizations in the US are on the rise again, but not like beforeCOVID-19 hospital admissions are inching upward in the United States since early July. August 08, 2023
As summer winds down, COVID-19 cases tick up slightly in the Chicago area: ‘COVID did not go away’The increase in cases is a reminder that COVID-19 is still lurking, even if it’s no longer top-of-mind. August 07, 2023
Lingering long COVID looms even as Chicago hospital admissions decline, Northwestern research showsBoth Illinois and Chicago are below the similarly declining national average in hospital admissions, but a new study from Northwestern Medicine's Comprehensive COVID-19 Center details patients' struggles with long COVID. July 14, 2023
More than $200 billion in COVID-19 aid may have been stolen, federal watchdog says More than $200 billion may have been stolen from two large COVID-19 relief initiatives, according to new estimates from a federal watchdog. June 27, 2023
FDA advisers endorse updating COVID vaccines to target latest omicron strainThe COVID-19 vaccines are on track for a big recipe change this fall. June 15, 2023
US study finds 1 in 10 get long COVID after omicron, starts identifying key symptomsAbout 10% of people appear to suffer long COVID after an omicron infection, a lower estimate than earlier in the pandemic, according to a study of nearly 10,000 Americans. May 26, 2023
Lori Lightfoot’s legacy: A combative mayor who led Chicago through crises, some of her own makingChicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot will exit office after presiding over the city’s most tumultuous era in generations, one marked by enormous strain on every element of civic life and the twin crises of COVID-19 and civil unrest. May 14, 2023
Allison Arwady has been the face of COVID-19 in Chicago. Will Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson keep her on?Arwady said the city doesn't consider COVID-19 over, even if the pandemic emergency is coming to an end. May 11, 2023
Families of those lost to COVID wrestle with mixed emotions as emergency endsMore than 1.1 million Americans have died of COVID, and the rate of death has markedly slowed in recent months. May 11, 2023
Pandemic-era support programs have already been fading away as COVID public health emergency endsSeveral core aspects of America’s pandemic-era emergency safety net are also coming to a close, from extra food assistance to automatic re-enrollment in Medicaid. May 11, 2023
The COVID-19 public health emergency ends today. Here’s what it means for Illinois residents.State and federal governments are changing requirements related to the illness. May 11, 2023
WHO says COVID emergency is over. So what does that mean?The World Health Organization says COVID-19 is no longer a global emergency but the coronavirus is here to stay. May 05, 2023
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is resigningDr. Rochelle Walensky, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, submitted her resignation Friday, saying the waning of the COVID-19 pandemic was a good time to make a transition. May 05, 2023
WHO downgrades COVID pandemic, says it’s no longer emergency“It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. May 05, 2023
Hospital can’t be forced to give ivermectin to COVID patients, Wisconsin Supreme Court rulesThe panel ruled 6-1 in favor of Aurora Health Care, with three liberals and three conservatives in support and only conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley dissenting. May 02, 2023
Illinois’ Blue Cross will stop covering at-home COVID-19 tests when public health emergency ends next monthPandemic-related national and public health emergencies are set to end on May 11 April 26, 2023
City told to reinstate employees fired over COVID-19 vaccination requirementChicago must reinstate city employees who were fired for refusing to comply with Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate and rescind the requirement, a state administrative law judge has ruled. April 20, 2023
An extra COVID-19 booster is now open to some high-risk Americans. Here’s what you need to know. Older Americans and people with weak immune systems can get an extra COVID-19 booster dose this spring. April 19, 2023
List of Cook County employees accused of COVID-19 PPP loan fraud grows to 17One county worker fraudently got loans and used the money on travel, home improvement, fine dining and Amazon purchases, the report says. April 14, 2023
Expelled Tennessee lawmakers both seeking seats againTwo former Black Democratic lawmakers who were expelled by Republican colleagues in Tennessee say they want to be reappointed, then elected back to their seats, following their ouster for a protest on the House floor urging passage of gun-control measures in the wake of a deadly school shooting. April 09, 2023
Advocate Health Care shifting to optional masking policies as COVID-19 cases remain low in IllinoisThe shift marks the first easing of masking requirements at the health system since the pandemic hit more than three years ago March 26, 2023
Court blocks COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal employeesThe 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans rejected arguments that Biden, as the nation’s chief executive, has the same authority as the CEO of a private corporation to require that employees be vaccinated. March 24, 2023
Senators press Moderna CEO on COVID-19 vaccine price hike Moderna’s CEO on Wednesday defended a plan to more than quadruple the company’s COVID-19 vaccine price, but he also said the drugmaker will work to ensure patients continue paying nothing at drugstores or clinics. March 22, 2023
New data links COVID pandemic’s origins to raccoon dogs at Wuhan market in ChinaAn international team of virus experts said that they had found genetic data from a market in Wuhan, China, linking the coronavirus with raccoon dogs for sale there. March 17, 2023
COVID-19 pill Paxlovid moves closer to full FDA approvalThe panel of Food and Drug Administration experts agreed Thursday that the drug is safe and effective for preventing severe COVID-19 in adults with health risks. March 16, 2023
COVID test requirement lifted for travelers from China to USA requirement that travelers to the U.S. from China present a negative COVID-19 test before boarding their flights expired Friday after more than two months as cases in China have fallen. March 12, 2023
Illinois coronavirus graphs: Daily data updates on COVID-19 cases, deaths and testsAs the pandemic continues, the Tribune is tracking Illinois deaths, cases, test results and more here. March 10, 2023
COVID pandemic at 3 years: Recalling Chicago-area victims. Fewer cases. Preparing for the next health crisis.Remembering when the world was gripped with fear as a mysterious virus spread across continents. March 10, 2023
Study: 1 in 4 parents misled others about their child’s COVID status earlier in the pandemicAmong the reasons cited by survey respondents were not wanting kids to miss school or an activity, and concerns about missing work to care for a child. March 06, 2023
COVID-19 conspiracies soar after latest report on origins COVID-19′s origins remain hazy. Three years after the start of the pandemic, it’s still unclear whether the coronavirus that causes the disease leaked from a lab or spread to humans from an animal. March 01, 2023
China says it’s been ‘open and transparent’ on COVID-19 origins(AP) — China says it has been “open and transparent” in the search for the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and dismissed U.S. criticism as politicizing the issue. February 28, 2023