Cook dinner County Well being Officers Advocate New Mitigations as Suspected Omicron Instances Rise – NBC Chicago

Cook dinner County well being officers warned Friday that “suspected circumstances of the omicron variant are rising… and are prone to escalate rapidly,” prompting them to problem new mitigation suggestions in Chicago’s suburbs.

The county mentioned that whereas the delta variant stays the outstanding variant, case counts, case charges, check positivity, hospitalizations and deaths “are all growing.”

“CCDPH is issuing Elevated mitigation practices for people and companies,” the county well being division mentioned in a launch. “CCDPH urges suburban Cook dinner County residents to observe them to gradual the unfold of COVID-19. We should proceed to work collectively to maintain one another wholesome and to keep away from overwhelming the healthcare system.”

The primary confirmed omicron variant case in suburban Cook dinner County was reported earlier this week in an asymptomatic one that was absolutely vaccinated, although it stays unclear if the individual had obtained a booster shot.

Further circumstances had been anticipated as officers mentioned there have been different circumstances “being genotyped for omicron.”

Now, with the vacations approaching, space well being officers are urging the general public and companies to observe the next mitigations:

VACCINATION and BOOSTERS:

• In case you are absolutely vaccinated, get your booster as soon as you’re eligible.
  • Two dose vaccines – at the very least 6 months publish your second dose (16 years and older)
  • One-dose vaccines – at the very least 2 months publish your unique dose (18 years and older)
•  In case you are not vaccinated, please get vaccinated. Vaccination towards COVID-19 will shield towards extreme illness and loss of life, even with the emergence of the omicron variant. Preliminary information signifies that boosters are particularly essential now, to offer further safety towards this new variant. Boosters can be found for all adults, and for folks 16 years and older with the Pfizer vaccine. 

GATHERING INDOORS:

• In case you are not absolutely vaccinated, please don’t collect indoors with others outdoors your family.
• Anybody wishing to rejoice the season with others is strongly urged to get a COVID check 2-3 days earlier than the occasion, and to check once more the morning of the occasion. Keep dwelling if in case you have a optimistic check and observe CDC isolation steerage.
• Put on masks to guard your self and others.
• Workplaces are strongly urged to carry digital vacation gatherings to keep away from giant teams of congregating staff. 

BUSINESSES:

• Institutions are urged to require patrons to be absolutely vaccinated for entry, and/or present proof of a unfavourable COVID check inside 24 hours of entry.
  • Giant gatherings are outlined by the CDC as these the place many individuals from a number of households meet. Giant occasions embody conferences, commerce reveals, sporting occasions, festivals, live shows, or giant weddings and events.
• Masking necessities are nonetheless in impact for indoor areas and actions. All folks age 2 years outdated and older who can medically tolerate it should put on a masks in indoor public settings.

Well being officers in Illinois reported the state’s first case of the omicron variant in a Chicago resident final week.

The case was reported in a completely vaccinated metropolis resident who had additionally obtained a booster dose however was visited by an out-of-state traveler who additionally examined optimistic for the variant. The resident didn’t require hospitalization, is bettering and has been self-isolating since their signs started, officers mentioned.

“Whereas unsurprising, this information ought to remind Chicagoans of the continued risk from COVID-19, particularly as households put together to come back collectively over the vacations,” Chicago Division of Public Well being Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady mentioned in an announcement. “We all know easy methods to gradual the unfold of this virus: get vaccinated, get boosted, get examined if in case you have signs or have been in touch with somebody with COVID-19, and keep away from others when you check optimistic. Put on a masks indoors, keep away from poorly ventilated areas, apply social distancing, and wash your arms.”

The suggestions from Cook dinner County come as metrics rise throughout the state.

Illinois Division of Public Well being Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike warned Friday that “that is setting as much as be a really lethal COVID Christmas and New Years” as she delivered an deal with about rising metrics in a single state well being care area.

“Hospital mattress availability has reached a critically low degree, demand on sources is excessive and the wait instances in native emergency departments are very lengthy,” Ezike mentioned in her deal with to Area 1, which encompasses a number of counties surrounding the Rockford space.

Illinois on Thursday reported practically 12,000 new circumstances of coronavirus within the earlier 24 hours, the biggest single-day enhance in new circumstances in additional than a 12 months.

In accordance with the newest figures from IDPH, the state recorded 11,858 new confirmed and possible circumstances of COVID-19 throughout that point. That quantity is the biggest the state has seen in a single day since Dec. 1, 2020, when 12,542 new circumstances had been reported to state well being companies.

The earlier excessive watermark for 2021 had been set simply two weeks in the past, when 11,524 new circumstances had been reported on Dec. 2.

The state additionally hit one other inauspicious milestone on Thursday, as it’s now averaging greater than 8,000 new circumstances of the virus per day over the past week. That marks the primary time the state has seen that variety of new circumstances since Dec. 15, 2020, in accordance with IDPH information.

On Friday, state well being officers reported 59,312 new COVID-19 circumstances over the previous week, together with 316 extra deaths and over 467,000 new vaccine doses administered. The brand new circumstances and deaths mark a continued enhance over the past a number of weeks following the Thanksgiving vacation.

Ezike mentioned that there are not any present plans to extend such mitigations statewide, although Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has inspired native well being authorities to guage the wants on a region-by-region foundation.

“Final 12 months is when the vaccines first had been administered in our state. We had been hoping to be in a totally totally different place,” Ezike mentioned. “So there are not any plans presently to institute extra measures just like what we noticed, you already know, final 12 months, however we proceed to have the indoor masks mandate as a easy however efficient measure that may really assist gradual transmission. And naturally, we’re persevering with to work to make vaccines and the booster pictures available to everybody who makes Illinois dwelling.”