It’s hard to believe that nearly four years have passed since the onset of the pandemic. Although COVID-19 may not be making as many headlines these days, there has been a recent surge in cases and hospitalizations in Illinois. Some individuals are reporting unusual symptoms that have not previously been observed.
A few days ago, public health officials in Illinois issued a warning regarding the resurgence of COVID cases, as reported by CBS Chicago. They highlighted the significant increase in COVID hospitalizations in Chicago, with a spike of 14 percent within a week.
COVID Act Now reports a recent increase of nearly 13% in hospitalizations across the entire state of Illinois over the past week.
Why the big uptick in COVID infections at the start of 2024?
Many people are likely to be responsible for two main reasons. Firstly, a significant number of individuals have been occupied with holiday shopping and spending time with loved ones over the past few weeks. Secondly, there is a new variant called JN.1, which has introduced a new complication by reportedly causing new symptoms.
People who have been affected by the JN.1 variant are reporting the typical symptoms of COVID, such as fever and fatigue. However, they have also noticed two new experiences.
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- Sleeplessness
- Unusual anxiety
The fact that Illinois experienced 888 new COVID hospital admissions in 2024 is quite alarming, regardless of the underlying reasons. This surge in cases was somewhat anticipated, considering the predictions that the virus would regain momentum during the winter season. It only intensifies the anticipation for the arrival of the warmer Spring months.
