>>> COVID CASES ARE CREEPING BACK UP.

THE CITY SEEING A RISE IN LAB CONFIRMED CASES AND EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS.

A NEW VACCINE IS EXPECTED TO BE READY FOR THE FALL SEASON.

JOINING US THE CHIEF QUALITY OFFICER AND MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF INFECTIONS, PREVENTION AND CONTROL AT UI HEALTH.

WELCOME BACK.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> FEELS LIKE WE HAVEN'T SEEN YOU BECAUSE MAYBE SOME HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE PANDEMIC BUT AVERAGES SHOW EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS INCREASED ABOUT 7% OVER JULY AND AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 80 CASES OVER THAT SAME MONTH.

HOW CONCERNS ARE THESE?

>> I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT COVID IS NOT GONE.

IT'S HERE.

WE ANTICIPATED WE WOULD GET SOME INCREASES, ESPECIALLY IN THE FALL AS THERE IS INCREASED ACTIVITIES, WE ARE ENDING THE TRAVEL SEASON OVER THE SUMMER, SCHOOLS ARE COMING TOGETHER.

THESE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRANSMISSION.

WE HAVE NEW VARIANT THAT ARE COMING OUT.

WE KNOW WHAT TO DO.

WE KNOW THAT CERTAIN THINGS WILL HELP.

DON'T GO TO WORK OR SCHOOL WHEN YOU ARE SICK.

MAKE SURE YOU GET TESTED FOR COVID BECAUSE COLD LIKE SYMPTOMS COULD BE THE FLU OR COVID OR OTHER VIRUSES.

MAKE SURE YOU GET TESTED.

MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU ARE AT RISK THAT YOU GET VACCINATED AND YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE NEW VACCINE THAT WILL BECOMING OUT AND MASKS WORK, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE AT RISK.

>> I SHOULD CORRECT MYSELF.

I SAID 7%, SHOULD BE .7%.

THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.

ARE THERE ANY VARIANTS WE NEED TO WATCH OUT FOR?

WE WERE ALWAYS WATCHING OUT WHAT THE NEW VARIANT WAS GOING TO DO.

>> YOU POINT OUT THE .7%.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WILL ARE INCREASES BUT THE LINE FOR HOSPITALIZATIONS IS STILL LOW.

IN CHICAGO, IN ILLINOIS, AND MOST OF THE COUNTRY WE ARE STILL AT LOW LEVELS OF HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS BUT IT'LL BE IMPORTANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE VACCINE.

THE CURRENT VARIANTS IS INCREASING INTO THE OTHER OMICRON VARIANT WHICH IS EG IS ONE OF THE SUBVARIANTS.

THE VACCINE THAT'S SUPPOSED TO COME OUT LATER THIS MONTH WAS DIRECTED AGAINST XBB BUT ITS BEEN TESTED AGAINST THIS NEW EG VARIANT AND THE OTHER FL VARIANT THAT ARE CIRCULATING NOW IN ILLINOIS AND CHICAGO.

THE VACCINE THAT WILL BECOME AVAILABLE LATER THIS MONTH IS SOMETHING ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE MOST AT RISK TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.

EVERYBODY SHOULD BE CONSIDERING GETTING BOOSTED WITH THIS NEW VACCINE THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SIX MONTHS AND OLDER.

>> WE MENTIONED THE STAFF JUST A BIT AGO.

HOW MUCH OF AN UNDER COUNT DO THOSE REPRESENT?

PEOPLE AREN'T GETTING TESTED AT PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICES.

>> THERE WAS A CHANGE IN HOW WE ARE MONITORING THE VIRUS.

THE LEVEL THAT YOU CAN LOOK ON THE CDC WEBSITE.

THE LEVEL OF TRANSMISSION FOR THE CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SITE AND IT'LL SHOW GREEN.

THAT'S THE HOSPITALIZATIONS WHICH IS NOT A MARKER FOR THE TESTING HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY.

YES, THE NUMBERS THAT ARE GOING OFF AND THOSE COMING INTO THE EMERGENCY ROOM MAY NOT BE REPRESENTING THE AMOUNT OF COVID IN THE COMMUNITY BUT WE ARE LOOKING AT HOW MANY END UP IN THE HOSPITAL WHICH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT IS HOW SEVERE IS COVID AND ARE THE HOSPITALS BECOMING OVERWHELMED BY COVID AND WE AREN'T AT THAT POINT.

WE ARE STILL AT LOW LEVELS IN MOST OF THE AREAS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

>> PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICES ARE USING WASTEWATER TO COUNT AND MANAGE HOW MUCH WE ARE SEEING.

>> THIS IS ANOTHER TOOL THAT WE HAVE TO KIND OF SEE IN ANTICIPATION WHAT WE SEE IS USUALLY INCREASES IN THE WASTEWATER, IN THE COMMUNITY THEN HOSPITALIZATIONS AND THEN DEATHS HAVE BEEN THE LAST LAGGING INDICATION.

THANKFULLY BECAUSE OF VACCINATION, PAST IMMUNITY WE AREN'T SEEING DEATHS AT THE SAME DEGREE WE HAD EARLY ON IN 2020 OR EVEN WITH THE FIRST OMICRON SURGE.

I THINK EVEN WITH THE SURGE THAT STARTED IN THE KIND OF THE WINTER OF 20 INTO 21 PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY WERE VACCINATED AND THERE WAS NO WAY THEY COULD GET COVID BUT WE KNOW YOU CAN STILL GET IT SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT IF YOU ARE TRAVELING, IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS YOU WON'T GO SEE SOMETHING AT RISK WITH IN THE WEEK AFTER YOU MIGHT BE AT RISK FORGETTING COVID.

WE KNOW HOW TO DO THIS.

WE JUST HAVE TO REMEMBER WHAT WORKS AND REMEMBER COVID IS STILL WITH US BUT WE CAN LIVE WITH IT.

>> ARE WE EXPECTING -- IS THIS UP CREASE GOING TO CONTINUE?

>> THIS INCREASE IS GOING TO CONTINUE.

RIGHT NOW WE ARE IN THE FALL.

WE ARE GATHERING.

WE WILL SEE THE NUMBERS GO UP BUT THE IMPORTANT PART IS WE KEEP THE NUMBER OF HOSPITALIZATIONS LOW AND THAT'S THROUGH VACCINATION, THROUGH PROTECTING THOSE AT RISK AND MAKING SURE THAT IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS YOU GET TESTED AND DON'T GO AROUND OTHERS SO YOU DON'T TRANSMIT.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE VACCINE.

THE NEWER VACCINE THAT'S COMING OUT AND HOW IT'LL BE DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS VACCINES.

>> SO THIS VACCINE IS DIRECTED AGAINST WHAT HAS BEEN CIRCULATED.

IT HAS DECIDED IN JUNE THAT THIS WOULD BE THE TYPE OF VACCINE SOT VACCINE IS NOW MANUFACTURED BY SEVERAL.

WE WILL HAVE ONE AVAILABLE FROM PHIZER, ONE FROM MADERNA AND ONE THAT'S ALSO NOVAVAX.

THOSE ARE THE ONES TARGETED AGAINST THE MORE RECENT VARIANTS SO IT'LL HELP GIVE BETTER PROTECTION THAN WHAT WE HAD IN THE PAST.

SORT OF LIKE WHAT WE HAVE WITH THE FLU.

THAT'S IMPORTANT.

THE FLU VACCINE IS AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW.

WE ANTICIPATE WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE FALL.

THE FLU VACCINE IS DESIGNED AND THEN WE GIVE IT TO HELP PROTECT THROUGH THE SEASON.

THIS WAS DESIGNED IN JUNE.

WE STILL HAVE THE VARIANTS THAT ARE DIRECTED -- THAT IT'S DIRECTED AGAINST AND ITS BEEN TESTED AGAINST THE NEW VARIANT THAT ARE COMING IN AND SO IT'LL BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO TAKE ADVANTAGE LIKE THE FLU VACCINE.

>> BEFORE WE LET YOU GO PEOPLE WITHOUT INSURANCE, HOW CAN THEY GET THIS VACCINE?

>> NOW THIS IS THE NOT PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT BUT MOST INSURANCE WILL COVER IT AND THE CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH IS PARTNERED ACROSS THE CITY AND HELPING PROVIDE VACCINES FOR THOSE THAT ARE WITHOUT INSURANCE.

>> PEOPLE SHOULD COLLECT OUT THEIR PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICE FOR THAT.

>> AND THEIR LOCAL HOSPITAL THAT ARE GETTING SUPPORT