Illinois Coronavirus Updates: CPS Classes Canceled, Unique Complications in Children

A debate over remote learning has left classes at Chicago Public Schools canceled Wednesday as teachers and the district continue to battle over safety in school settings. At the same time, pediatricians are seeing a unique trend in children contracting the omicron variant. Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic across Illinois today: FDA Issues Guidance Amid Throat Swab Debate: ‘Tests Should Be Used as Authorized’ With many patients reporting sore throats in omicron COVID cases, a debate over whether or not to add throat swabs to testing methods has sparked, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cautioned that such advice could be dangerous in some cases. Federal guidance has not changed on how to test for COVID, and all test kits have specific FDA-approved instructions on how they should be used, but some medical professionals are debating whether adding a throat swab, in addition to nasal swabbing, could lead to more accurate test results. The FDA noted safety concerns with such advice, particularly for at-home tests. “The FDA advises that COVID-19 tests should be used as authorized, including following their instructions for use regarding obtaining the sample for testing,” the agency said in a statement provided to NBC 5 Wednesday. Read more here. Chicago Travel Advisory Updated to Include Every US State, Territory With the new year now underway, Chicago updated its travel advisory overnight to include every U.S. state and territory, prompting city health officials to urge anyone looking to travel right now to reconsider their plans. Last week, Montana and Guam remained the only locations not on the city’s warning list. “COVID is very real, it’s merciless, and unless you are fully vaccinated, your defenses against it are pretty low,” Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a statement. “You can only fully fight this virus if you’re vaccinated. The evidence is overwhelming – if you are fully vaccinated and you do get COVID-19, there’s very little chance you will get so ill that you require hospitalization. Your chances aren’t nearly as good if you remain unvaccinated. Unvaccinated and vaccinated travelers alike should consider if their travel plans are necessary at this time.”   Read more here. CTU Votes in Favor of Return to Remote-Learning; CPS Cancels Wednesday Classes The rank-and-file members of the Chicago Teachers Union have voted to temporarily transition to remote learning, a move that prompted Chicago Public Schools officials to cancel classes for Wednesday. While CTU instructed its members to work remotely Wednesday, CPS has said that it will not accept the switch back to remote learning, and instead canceled all classes, sporting events and extracurricular activities scheduled for Wednesday. Food service will still be available at schools between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m., and COVID testing and vaccination events will continue as scheduled, according to a CPS press release. Here’s the latest. Illinois to Follow CDC Guidance Shortening Waiting Period for Pfizer COVID Shot Boosters The state of Illinois says that it will adopt new CDC guidance on the administration of Pfizer COVID vaccine booster shots, shortening the amount of time between the second dose of the treatment and the follow-up injection. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, residents who received two doses of the Pfizer COVID vaccine will now be eligible to receive a booster shot five months after the date of their second shot. Those residents will be able to receive either the Pfizer or Moderna booster, according to officials. The CDC is also recommending that children between the ages of 5 and 11 that are moderately or severely immunocompromised should get a third dose of the COVID vaccine 28 days after their second dose. Read more here. Omicron Variant Causing Unique Complications In Children, Pediatricians Say Pediatricians are seeing a unique trend in children contracting the omicron variant of COVID-19, saying it could be behind a recent spike in hospital visits as young kids suffer complications from the variant. Dr. Latania Logan, Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at RUSH University Medical Center, says narrow airways in children under 5 years of age make it easier for germs to sit where the omicron variant replicates. This can lead to other infections like bronchiolitis, and can lead to other respiratory issues. Read more here. How Long After COVID Exposure Could You Test Positive? How long could it take for someone to test positive for COVID following an exposure to someone who had the virus? It’s a question many are asking following holiday gatherings amid surging omicron variant cases. Testing demand continues to soar as the new year gets underway and some experts say the omicron variant has “sped up” timing for what many have come to know with COVID. Here’s what we know so far. Chicago’s Top Doc Says Nearly 1-in-4 Reported COVID Tests Coming Back Positive in City Nearly one-in-four reported COVID tests in the city of Chicago are coming back with positive results, continuing a rapid increase in positivity rates in the city. According to the latest information from the Chicago Department of Public Health, the city’s positivity rate as of Dec. 30, the last date for which data is available for due to lag time and other factors, stands at 23.6%, the highest rate reported since May 7, 2020. That number represents a rapid increase in the city’s positivity rate in the last month. On Dec. 7, the positivity rate in the city stood at 3.9%, and since that date it has increased every day, according to officials. Read more here. Should Chicagoans Double-Mask During Omicron Surge? City’s Top Doc Weighs In As the omicron variant continues to spread rapidly across the United States, Chicago’s top doctor was asked whether it was necessary for city residents to double-mask to help avoid infection. Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said that while double-masking is a good way to provide “excellent protection” to residents, it is equally important to have a mask that fits correctly. “If you’ve got gaps, you can have droplets leaking out. We’ve been recommending wearing one of the surgical masks with a cloth mask over it,” she said. “That’s a good way to have excellent protection. If you’re wearing KN95 and the KN94’s, go for it. Read more here. When Will Omicron Peak? Chicago’s Top Doctor Shares Her Predictions As omicron COVID cases continue to surge in Chicago and Illinois, bringing case levels to their highest of the entire pandemic, many are wondering when a peak will be reached. Chicago’s top doctor offered her predictions based on data from around the globe Tuesday, but said, in short, “we don’t know when omicron is going to peak.” “I’ve been talking to the modelers and the epidemiologists,” Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a press conference Tuesday. “So in South Africa, which was the first place to really detect and see this huge surge of omicron, it took about four weeks for omicron to peak and then another couple of weeks for it to really come back down.” But, she noted, South Africa differs from many countries now experiencing the surge “in a number of ways, including high rates of infection, differing rates of vaccination, a much younger population with a median age under 30.” Read more on her predictions. When Could Omicron Symptoms Start After COVID Exposure? As cases of the coronavirus surge with the new omicron variant continuing to spread following the holidays, your chances of being exposed to someone with the virus have likely increased. But when might symptoms first appear following a potential exposure? Some experts say the omicron variant has “sped up” timing for what many have come to know with COVID, including the incubation period, or the time between exposure and the start of symptoms. “As we’ve seen these new variants develop – delta, now omicron – what we’re seeing is everything gets sped up from a COVID perspective,” Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Thursday. “It is taking less time from when someone is exposed to COVID to potentially develop infection. It is taking less time to develop symptoms, it is taking less time that someone may be infectious and it is, for many people, taking less time to recover. A lot of that is because many more people are vaccinated.” Here’s what we know so far. When is the Best Time to Get Tested After COVID Exposure? Testing demand continues to soar as the new year gets underway, but as many navigate new guidelines following holiday gatherings, when is the best time to get tested for COVID if you’ve been exposed? Some experts say the omicron variant has “sped up” timing for what many have come to know with COVID. Here’s what we know so far. Sore Throat? Runny Nose? The Common Omicron Symptoms to Know About Breakthrough infections of the coronavirus are increasing in Chicago and Illinois, but health experts say it’s likely that the symptoms you experience will depend on the vaccine. Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s top doctor, said the omicron variant isn’t necessarily bringing with it a new set of symptoms, but with vaccines now widely available, many are experiencing milder cases, depending on their vaccination status. “The symptoms that we’re seeing are not different with omicron than they were with delta, than they were with the original. It’s just that we are seeing more what we call breakthrough infections,” Arwady said Wednesday. “So the vaccines continue to protect, but not as well against infection, although they continue to protect beautifully against severe illness.” Read more here. coronavirus Jan 4 CDC Shortens Waiting Period for Pfizer Covid Boosters to 5 Months Coronavirus Pandemic Jan 4 Omicron Upends Return to US Schools and Workplaces Get the latest news on COVID-19 in your inbox. Click here to sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter.

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