In an ongoing battle against COVID-19, the Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Dr. Sameer Vohra, visited the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (C-UPHD) to participate in a vaccination event and receive the recent COVID-19 shot along with a flu shot. The occurrence comes amidst an elevation in COVID-19 hospitalizations in ten Illinois counties and a 13% statewide surge as mentioned by the CDC's national COVID Data Tracker.
By vaccinating now, people can achieve full protection by Thanksgiving as explained by Dr. Vohra. C-UPHD Administrator Julie Pryde vocalized their pursuance for ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and underscored the role they play in shielding communities from transmittable diseases.
The 'Tis the Sneezin' campaign was initiated by IDPH in October to remind Illinoisans about the importance of getting vaccinated. The campaign, featuring humorous videos that endorse vaccinations and exhibit day-to-day moments thwarted by symptoms, will operate through many media in both English and Spanish.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended in September the use of new COVID-19 shots for anyone over six months according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Moderna and Pfizer have developed these updated mRNA vaccines to target the current strains of COVID-19 and have been demonstrated to prevent severe consequences.
The reformulated vaccines can safely be administered at the same time as the flu and RSV shots. Study findings show that the COVID-19 vaccines protect against symptomatic COVID-19 and intuitively provide better protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Emerging evidence anticipates that these vaccines could potentially protect against long-term COVID, and flu vaccines are proven to guard against heart disease.
In June, a single dose of the RSV vaccine was recommended for people aged 60 and above by the CDC's ACIP. This was in addition to suggesting a preventative nirsevimab monoclonal antibody shot for infants under eight months and high-risk toddlers. In September, administering one dose of the RSV vaccine during pregnancy for maximum protection for neonates was recommended by ACIP.
Illinois residents experiencing COVID-19 symptoms can avail of no-cost telehealth services through the SIU School of Medicine Covid Test to Treat services. The state has received over 170,000 courses of efficient therapeutic medications, like Paxlovid and Lagevrio. The federal government has funded these medications, and provided free to those with Medicare, Medicaid, and the uninsured, will be available commercially in November 2023.
The CDC initiated a national respiratory virus dashboard as part of an effort to keep the public apprised, allowing users to view levels of COVID-19, flu, and RSV by state. Moreover, all-purpose toolkit information covering mask acquisition, treatment, vaccines, and testing resources for the country as a whole is provided by the federal government on covid.gov.
