Coronavirus Latest: Daily updates from NBC 5

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It's Saturday, Sep. 10th
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COVID by the Numbers: 28 Illinois Counties Sit at 'High' Community Levels

COVID by the Numbers: 28 Illinois Counties Sit at 'High' Community Levels

Illinois continues to wrestle with COVID-19, with 28 counties remaining at a "high" community level of the virus, according to the latest data released Friday by Illinois health officials.

Portions of northwest Illinois, including Carroll, Jo Daviess, Ogle, Dekalb, Lee and Whiteside, fall into the "high" community level category.

A couple western counties are also at a "high" level of virus activity: Adams and Pike.

Are You Still Contagious With COVID After 5 Days? Here's What We Know

Are You Still Contagious With COVID After 5 Days? Here's What We Know

As COVID's incubation period changes, what does that mean for isolation time and how long you are contagious?

During a Facebook Live last month, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady reported that recent studies have shown the incubation period for COVID has dropped to three days with recent variants.

"So if you go back to like alpha variant, beta, delta – early on, it was about a five-day incubation period on average. So, if you were exposed to COVID, on average we were seeing people take about five days for someone to end up testing positive – and remember that went from four to five, out to 10, out to 14," she said. "The reason … we only use 10 days now, it is because that timing has shortened. And so, more recently with BA.4, BA.5, that's all the way down to about three days now. So on average, people are testing positive about three days after, but you can have someone positive up to 10 days."

Coronavirus in Illinois: Nearly 20K New Cases, 64 Deaths Reported in Last Week

Coronavirus in Illinois: Nearly 20K New Cases, 64 Deaths Reported in Last Week

Illinois health officials reported 19,933 new COVID-19 cases over the past week, along with 64 additional deaths, marking a decrease in cases from a week prior, as 28 counties within the state remain at a "high" community level for COVID-19.

The previous week, Illinois reported 26,127 new cases and 70 deaths. The week before that, 24,297 new cases and 82 deaths were reported.

The latest numbers come as reformulated vaccines that target the latest omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, began across the state.

Illinois Coronavirus Updates: Symptoms, Incubation Period, Vaccination Rates

Illinois Coronavirus Updates: Symptoms, Incubation Period, Vaccination Rates

While new omicron-specific booster shots are underway across the Chicago area, health experts say there's a concerning vaccination metric that many may not have been watching.

Plus, how long are you contagious with COVID and are symptoms changing?

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic across Illinois today:

Have COVID Symptoms Changed Over Time? What to Know About the BA.5 Variant

Have COVID Symptoms Changed Over Time? What to Know About the BA.5 Variant

With both the BA.5 omicron variant remaining the dominant variant of COVID-19 in the US and colder weather on the horizon, many are wondering what symptoms may appear as the COVID-19 pandemic begins to enter its third winter.

As cases remain steady in the US, the symptoms of COVID-19 have slightly evolved over time, with many curious if there are specific symptoms to watch out for in the dominant BA.5 variant that differ from previous dominant strains of COVID-19.

While some symptoms have become more or less noticeable since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials say that respiratory symptoms from the virus remain the most prevalent.