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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.

Illinois Coronavirus Updates: Signs of COVID, How Long Are You Contagious

Illinois Coronavirus Updates: Signs of COVID, How Long Are You Contagious

While new omicron-specific booster shots are underway across the Chicago area, health experts say the virus is still very much circulating.

That has led some to question their symptoms and how long they could be spreading a potential infection.

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

Is a Rash a Sign of COVID? Here's What to Know About Symptoms

Is a Rash a Sign of COVID? Here's What to Know About Symptoms

According to the latest COVID update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the BA.5 lineage of the omicron variant is now the most prevalent strain of the virus in the U.S., and that variant comes with a shift in symptoms. But what if you have a symptom that isn't among the most common?

As cases continue to occur, many are curious about what symptoms typically appear with COVID, and if there are specific symptoms, like rashes or headaches, related to different variants — particularly BA.5.

"We're continuing to track this," Chicago's top doctor, Dr. Allison Arwady, said in an update last month. "In the more recent cases of COVID — which, again, are these newer variants — there's a few things that I noticed. First of all, the biggest one is that people are so much less likely to get seriously ill. And that means that the immune system is better at as being able to protect against against that severe illness."

How Long Are You Contagious With COVID? The Incubation Period Has Changed, Top Doc Says

How Long Are You Contagious With COVID? The Incubation Period Has Changed, Top Doc Says

COVID's incubation period has changed with the extra-contagious BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants, Chicago's top doctor said, but what does that mean for 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 3 days after, but you can have someone positive up to 10 days."