Chicago COVID-19 Update

COVID-19 activity has been increasing over the past several weeks in Chicago. For the week ending July 27, the proportion of emergency department visits attributed to COVID-19 diagnoses has increased from 1.3% to 1.5%. The test positivity for SARS-CoV-2 has decreased from 12.8% to 11.3%, however not all tests are reported.

CDPH continues to encourage residents to be aware of COVID-19, and if they feel stick to stay home and test for COVID-19.

Those who have COVID-19 or other respiratory viruses should stay home and away from others until their symptoms have been getting better overall for 24 hours, and if a fever was present, it has been gone for 24 hours without use of a fever-reducing medication. Once you resume normal activities, you are encouraged to take precautions for the next 5 days to curb disease spread including: wear a well-fitting mask, enhance your hygiene practices, take steps for cleaner air and keep a distance from others.

There will be a new COVID-19 vaccine for the 2024-2025 respiratory virus season this fall, which will likely be available by mid-September. FDA recently recommended that vaccine manufacturers use the KP.2 strain of the JN.1 lineage, if feasible, for fall vaccines, to more closely match circulating variants. CDC recommends everyone 6 months of age or older get the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine.

Safe Swimming Tips for the Dog Days of Summer

As temperatures stay hot, beaches and pools are a gathering place for many Chicagoans. In recent years, drowning deaths in the U.S. have risen following decades of decline, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here are some tips to be safe around water:

• Learn basic swimming and water safety skills (proper breathing, floating, and basic strokes).
• Provide close and constant supervision for children around water.
• Build fences around pools. Keep them locked when not in use.
• Wear a life jacket while boating.
• Do not drink alcohol before or during swimming, boating or other water activities.
• Learn CPR.

Visit the CDC website for additional resources to keep yourself safe.

LGBT Hall of Fame Selects CDPH's Antonio King

CDPH Public Health Administrator/LGBTQ Health & Outreach Liaison Antonio King, who has been working in the fields of LGBTQ advocacy and HIV prevention for over 30 years, is being recognized by the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame for his decades of service in Chicago's LGBTQ community, especially within the Black LGBTQ community.

Antonio has been announced as a 2024 inductee to the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame, the only city-sanctioned LGBT Hall of Fame in the world. He is one of 19 LGBT-identified individuals who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony on Oct. 1, at the Chicago History Museum.

In 2017 Antonio took on the groundbreaking role of the first gay/bi Black man to serve as LGBTQ Health Outreach Liaison at the Chicago Department of Public Health, following a decade at CDPH as a disease intervention specialist.

He is a founding member of the Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus, and most recently, he was instrumental in working with the Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus to establish the Chicago Methamphetamine Task Force. The Task Force's current “Don't Die High” public awareness campaign was created to counter and alleviate the increasing numbers of fentanyl overdoses among Black gay, bisexual, and other same-gender loving men in Chicago. Antonio is a fixture at community events and meetings, whether serving as master of ceremonies, moderating or speaking at a panel discussion, sharing public health information with community members. More information on the LGBT Hall of Fame's 2024 inductees can be found on its website.

New Healthy Chicago Podcast

On a new episode of Healthy Chicago Podcast, Behavioral Health experts Matt Richards (CDPH Deputy Commissioner of Behavioral Health), Dr. Tom Nutter (Chief Behavioral Health Officer for Cook County), and Chief David T. Jones (Chief Behavioral Health Officer for the State of Illinois) discuss all things public health policy around behavioral health. The conversation pulls back the curtain on how the City, County, and State collaborate in assessment, planning, and coordination around issues involving behavioral health with stakeholders in their territories. This one is highly recommended for all the public health wonks out there!

Check out the newest Healthy Chicago Podcasts on on any major streaming service: Spotify / Apple / YouTube

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