HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE WARNING COVID CASES ARE ON THE RISE NATIONALLY.

WE'RE SEEING AN INCREASE IN POSITIVE VIRAL ACTIVITY THIS SUMMER.

AND CHICAGO IS NO DIFFERENT AND WITH THE START OF THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, JUST WHAT IS THE LATEST COVID GUIDANCE HERE TO ANSWER THAT AND MUCH MORE IS DOCTOR SOMEBODY, COMMISSIONER OF THE CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, DOCTOR, UK, WELCOME BACK.

THANKS FOR JOINING US.

THANK SO DESCRIBE THIS INCREASE THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY SEEING IN COVID-19 CASES.

HOW CONCERNING IS THIS TO PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS?

WELL, THIS IS REMINISCENT SOME OF THE PARDONS WE SAW IN 2023 SUMMER CASES START TO INCH UP A LITTLE AND WE'RE SEEING THAT HAPPEN.

AND WE EXPECT THAT THIS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE FALL AND THE WINTER.

SO BUT WE HAVE GOOD NEWS AND NOW WE KNOW WHAT TO DO.

WE HAVE TOOLS THAT EFFECTIVE.

SO WE WANT PEOPLE AGAIN TO BE REMINDED THAT WE CAN KEEP COVID AT BAY WITH VACCINES.

AND SO WE PEOPLE TO BE PREPARED FOR THE FALL FOR THE WINTER BY GETTING THE PROTECTION THAT THEY NEED BACK SINCE GET TREATMENT AND STAY HOME.

IF YOU'RE SICK.

AND IF YOU HAVE TO INTERACT WITH PEOPLE AFTER YOU'VE BEEN SICK MASK, YOU KNOW, THESE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN SAYING FOR MANY YEARS.

THEY WORK AND WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE LAST SEASON WE WERE ABLE TO KEEP DEATH FROM COVID DOWN AND WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO REPLICATE THE SAME SUCCESS THIS SEASON.

WHAT KNOW ABOUT THE CAUSE OF THIS CURRENT INCREASE COVID?

YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S BEEN A VERY, SMART VIRUS.

KEEPS MUTATING ME KEEPS DEVELOPING NEW.

VERY.

AND SO THERE'S A NEW VARIANT THAT'S OUT THERE FOR VARIANT THAT CAUSE OF THIS NEW UPTICK IN CASES THAT WE'RE SEEING.

SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE'RE SEEING THIS.

BUT AGAIN, THIS IS A VIRUS THAT HAS BEEN VERY ADEPT AT YOU KNOW, CHANGING ITS SHAPE AND EXPRESSION, BUT THE GOOD NEWS HERE IS IT'S NOT A NEED SEVERE DISEASE.

SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS.

AND WE KNOW HOW TO KEEP IT AT BE.

THE VACCINE STILL LOOKS FOR THIS VERY.

AND SO THAT'S ALSO GOOD NEWS.

AND YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS IS SORT OF A PATTERN THAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF SUMMERS, BUT IT'S A BIT TOO EARLY TO TELL IF THIS IS GOING TO BE SUMMER VIRUS.

IF THE KIND OF LIKE THE FLU IS SORT OF A FALL AND WINTER VIRUS, RIGHT?

IT'S IT'S WE COVID WE TRY TO CAUTIOUS ABOUT BEING YOU CONFIDENT ABOUT HOW WE FIX PRICES BECAUSE THE VARIANT JUST KEEP POPPING UP.

BUT SOME OF THE PATTERNS WE SEEN THE SO THE NAME IS FAIR IN AUSTRALIA WITH IN THE PEAK OF AYLAN SEASON WITH KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THAT SORT PREP FOR HOW HANDLE A SEASON.

AND IT SEEMS LIKE, YES, THE THE FLOOD VARIANT IS LEADING TO MORE CASES BUT NOT MORE.

SEE THERE.

THE NEW VACCINE THAT WE HOPE WILL BE READY IN SEPTEMBER WILL BE EFFECTIVE IN KEEPING DEBATE.

VARIANT SOUNDS IT'S HOW CDPH KEEPING TRACK OF THESE NUMBERS?

WELL, A MAINSTAY RIGHT NOW AS THE WEEKS GO INTO SUTHERLAND BECAUSE WE NO LONGER HAVE THE COMPREHENSIVE TESTING PROGRAM, CETERA.

AND WE'RE NO LONGER GETTING.

WE POINTS ON HOSPITALIZATION, CETERA.

SO WE ARE TRACKING ACROSS THE CITY WASTEWATER THAT HELPS US DETECT WHAT THE ACTIVITY IS FOR COVID IN THE WASTEWATER.

AND THAT'S HOW WE KNOW WHEN THINGS THE ENGINE OPEN WHEN THINGS ARE STABILIZING AND NOW GOING GOING UP.

OKAY.

AND JUST TO SHOW FOLKS AT HOME TO THE WEEK ENDING JULY 19TH THAT STARTED JULY THE TEST POSITIVITY RATE IN CHICAGO WAS 9.8% COMPARED WITH THE WEEK BEFORE 7.6% DO YOU EXPECT THAT THIS WILL CONTINUE TO GROW AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE FOR US A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT USED TO HEARING THESE NUMBERS REGULARITY THE WAY WE WERE, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN THEY WERE A LOT HIGHER RIGHT?

I THINK WHAT WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO FOCUS ON RIGHT NOW WILL BE THE WASTEWATER ACTIVITY THAT HELPS US SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH LARGE THE TESTING.

NOT THIS, NOT EVERYBODY TESTING.

SO TEST POSITIVITY DEPENDS ON HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE GETTING TESTED.

SO THE COMPREHENSIVE PICTURE IS FROM THE WEISE.

SUTHERLAND'S.

AND YES, HE SAYS THE INCHING UP.

WE HAVE SEEN THAT PART IN THE OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.

WE EXPECT THAT HE WILL COME HERE.

SO WE WANT FOLKS TO CAUTIOUS TO START TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS.

NOW AND NOT WAIT UNTIL THE PEAK OF THE SEASON.

WE EXPECT NUMBERS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE.

SO WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT RIGHT NOW IF YOU HAVE ANY RESPIRATORY SYMPTOM AT ALL, YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW FOR CERTAIN COVID TAKE THE SAME PRECAUTIONS.

THE SAME PRECAUTIONS WILL FLEW THE SAME PRECAUTIONS FOR RSV THE SAME PRECAUTIONS FOR COVID.

A COMMENDATION RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS IF YOU ARE SICK, PLEASE STAY HOME UNTIL YOU FEEL BETTER.

24 HOURS AFTER YOU SYMPTOMS YOU CAN GO ABOUT YOUR NORMAL BUSINESS, BUT PLEASE KEEP YOUR MASK ON FOR UP TO 5 DAYS AFTER WOODS.

AND IF YOU FEEL PARTICULARLY SEEK, YOU HAVE A FEVER, YOU HAVING DIFFICULTY BREATHING.

THAT IS TREATMENT AVAILABLE.

PLEASE GET ASAP.

SO THOSE ARE THE TOOLS THAT WE HAVE AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL BE ASSURED THAT WE NOW KNOW HOW TO CONTROL COVID AND WE WANT EVERYBODY TO BE AWARE OF WHAT THIS TOOLS ON TO USE CAN WE EXPECT THAT THE NEXT VACCINE, THE NEXT ITERATION OF THE VACCINE WILL ADDRESS THIS VARIANT?

OH, YES, I'M THE KIND VACCINE STILL IS LITTLE PROTECTIVE, BUT THE NEW VERSION OF IT THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE IN WILL BE TAYLOR SAID FOR THIS PARTICULAR VARIANT.

AND SO WE'LL BE EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE.

CDPH YOU ARE STILL ADVOCATING FOR FEDERAL COVID FUNDING.

WHAT WHAT WOULD THAT BE USED FOR?

AND HAS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GIVING YOU ANY INDICATION THAT IT WILL PROVIDE MORE WELL, IT'S NOT LIKELY, THOUGH, IS GETTING MOST LINDINA COVID FUNDING IS ACTUALLY DEPLETING.

AND IT'S A A CHILLY GOING AWAY.

AND ONE OF THE CHANGES THAT SWEET IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW RIGHT NOW IS WE NO LONGER HAVE FUNDING FULL FREE VACCINES LIKE WE DID LAST YEAR.

THE BREACH PROGRAM ENDS IN AUGUST 2024, WHICH MEANS THAT IF YOU DON'T HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE RIGHT NOW, THE OPTIONS WILL FREE VACCINATIONS AND LIMITED.

SO WE WILL STILL BE PROVIDING SOME FREE VACCINES, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS WE HAD LAST YEAR.

THE STOCK WILL BE LIMITED.

SO WE WANT FOLKS WAY ENJOY TO PLEASE ENGAGE WITH THEIR PHARMACIES WITH THEIR PROVIDERS FOR THE VACCINES.

AND WE WILL ALSO BE COMPLEMENTED THAT ARE WE CAN FIX THE REST OF THE COVID-RELATED FUNDED HAS BEEN MOST.

HE TOO, WAS COVID RECOVERY MORE THAN THE COVID VACCINE ITSELF.

AND WE'LL HAVE THAT FUNDING UNTIL 2026.

SOME OF PULL FUNDING WILL BE AVAILABLE TILL 2026.

BUT SUPPORTING PROGRAMS.

MENTAL HEALTH RECOVERY, IT CETERA, AND NOT JUST THE COVID VACCINATION PROGRAM.

OKAY.

BEFORE WE LET YOU GO ABOUT 30 SECONDS CDPH TO STARTED A NEW OPERATION, ESO ES.

WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT'S BEEN FANTASTIC.

YOU KNOW, THIS IS OUR APPROACH OF GETTING RESOURCES TO PEOPLE WITH THE AND WE ARE DOING CAME BECAUSE ABOUT 30% OF THE OVERDOSE DEATH THAT WE HAVE SEEN IN CHICAGO IS CONCENTRATED 5 NEIGHBORHOODS.

SO THERE ABOUT 1300 BOOKS WE'RE GOING TO DO TO DO A 10 WEEK CAMPAIGN TO GET RESOURCES TO PEOPLE.

WE'RE TIRED OF PEOPLE DYING FROM PREVENTABLE CAUSES.

LAST YEAR, MORE THAN 1300 PEOPLE DIED FROM OPIOID OVERDOSES.

MORE THAN THE NUMBER OF HOMICIDES AND ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS,