Illinois

Debunking tripledemic misconceptions with an Illinois immunologist

Published

1 year ago

January 20, 2023

Debunking tripledemic misconceptions with an Illinois immunologist

CHICAGO (CBS) — March 2023 will mark three years since well being officers declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

Now, excessive case numbers of each flu and RSV are within the combine, creating what some persons are calling a “tripledemic.”

As a result of misinformation can unfold so rapidly on social media, we sat down with an skilled to debunk some widespread misconceptions about this “tripledemic.” Dr. Jessica Brinkworth is an immunologist and assistant professor on the College of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Immunity debt

A type of ideas is immunity debt. This concept was first utilized in an editorial opinion piece first in Could 2021. The time period has been used to explain the concept that COVID-19 mitigations such because the lockdown interval in 2020 within the U.S. in addition to masking and social distancing weakened folks’s immune techniques. Subsequently, now, there are extra instances of COVID-19, RSV and flu.

Dr. Brinkworth says this time period can’t be utilized to the state of affairs that we’re in.

“There’s a bunch of causes to not apply immunity debt to this specific state of affairs, the primary one being that RSV does not set off any longstanding immunity of any type,” she stated, “and so for that cause alone, as a result of the idea of immunity that depends on this notion of immune reminiscence, it does not apply.”

The second cause is that immunity debt doesn’t think about vaccines.

“There is a lengthy, good physique of labor that demonstrates that the extra influenza vaccines you might have over the course of your lifetime for no matter strains can be found, the extra probably you might be to have the ability to fend off incoming influenza,” Brinkworth stated, “and influenza immunity usually lasts fairly a very long time.”

So then, why are there extra instances of respiratory viruses? The reply is absolutely advanced, Dr. Brinkworth says.

Increased case numbers at surprising instances

A part of the reply is that RSV has been on the rise for years, even earlier than the pandemic. In 2019, there have been 100,000 deaths in youngsters below the age of 5 in RSV from RSV worldwide, in accordance with knowledge from the CDC.

This yr, each RSV and flu instances are a lot increased and peaked at surprising instances.

“Each time we see shifts in flu patterns, we are inclined to see shifts in different seasonal pathogens,” Brinkworth stated.

Early flu hospitalizations hit a decade excessive in 2022. In keeping with Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention knowledge, the final time was in 2009 with the H1N1 pandemic.

Between 2016 and 2020, RSV and Flu seasons considerably started to overlap. Then in the summertime of 2021 with the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, the flu season pushed far forward.

Though we have now some knowledge on how RSV and flu work together, we’re nonetheless studying extra about how COVID-19 interacts with these two viruses.

Well being specialists do know that co-infections do happen and having one virus makes somebody extra inclined to contracting different viruses. This will increase the possibilities of mortality, says Brinkworth.

There’s new analysis from the CDC that discovered that youngsters below 5 who had been hospitalized with COVID, and examined optimistic for a second virus, usually tend to be admitted to the ICU.

RSV

One other widespread false impression concerning the tripledemic, Brinkworth tells us, is that RSV solely impacts youngsters.

“One of many issues that I feel has been missed within the story of RSV this yr is that additionally it is a vital pathogen for at-risk adults. So that features frail and aged folks; people who find themselves immunocompromised,” she stated. About 78 p.c of RSV-related deaths are amongst folks 65 years and older. “It has been stated to trigger this actually massive illness burden that is no less than as corresponding to ailments like influenza,’ Brinkworth stated.

RSV’s incubation interval, or the time between getting contaminated and exhibiting signs, is 4 days. There’s additionally proof that exhibits that contracting RSV does not give the immune system a lot immunity, or reminiscence on the way to shield towards reinfection.

XBB.1.5

XBB.1.5 is the official identify for the most recent COVID-19 variant. It was first detected within the U.S. in October 2022, and as of Jan. 14, it already accounts for over 40 p.c of U.S. instances.

“The Kraken” has caught on as a nickname for XBB1.5, and Brinkworth says, “It is a good illustration of how fearful specialists are that it will trigger numerous injury.”

XBB1.5. Is a mix of different Omicron variants. It’s the most transmissible variant of concern to this point and is healthier at moving into cells.

A Washington-based lab that research the evolution of viruses predicted this pressure round a yr in the past.

“Bloom Lab regarded on the sequences of accessible strains on the time and stated that, ‘Listed below are

the amino acids that I’d change in these protein sequences, given what I do know the perform is that if I needed to be unbeatable,” Brinkworth stated.

Safety

Though there are not widespread mitigations enacted, Dr. Brinkworth emphasizes they’re one of the best ways to guard your self and others.

“My strongest suggestion is at all times to masks and restrict indoor closed time with giant teams of individuals,” she stated.

The newest COVID-19 booster particularly targets Omicron strains. Receiving vaccinations towards COVID-19 and influenza helps shield towards extreme sickness and dying.

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Illinois

2024 Enjoy Illinois 300 odds, picks: NASCAR at Gateway best bets from proven racing experts – SportsLine.com

Published

33 mins ago

June 1, 2024

Press Room

2024 Enjoy Illinois 300 odds, picks: NASCAR at Gateway best bets from proven racing experts – SportsLine.com

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues on Sunday with the 2024 Enjoy Illinois 300 at Worldwide Technology Raceway at 3:30 p.m. ET. Kyle Larson is the 11-2 favorite in the 2024 Enjoy Illinois 300 odds, while Denny Hamlin is 6-1 and Ryan Blaney is 8-1. William Byron (9-1), Martin Truex Jr. (9-1) and Christopher Bell (10-1) are also among the 2024 NASCAR at Gateway contenders.

Before making any NASCAR at Gateway picks, be sure to see what elite expert auto racing handicappers Phil Bobbitt and Steve Greco have to say.

Bobbitt and Greco built a predictive engine that consistently beats the books. They find huge value and aren’t afraid of volume. Over the past three years, their followers are up more than $26,100 on $100 plays. Last season, they called +4000 longshot Michael McDowell winning the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard and Blaney to win the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at +3000.

The duo began 2024 by calling Hamlin to win the Clash at the Coliseum at +1100 and hit on three of its four top-five wagers. Three weeks later at Atlanta, they predicted Daniel Suarez’s victory at +3500 and were 10-2 on matchup plays. They went 9-3 on head-to-head plays in the Toyota Owners 400 in March, going +13.58 units in that article alone. Their 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race preview nailed Joey Logano at +1100 and went 4-0 in matchup picks. Anyone following Bobbitt and Greco has seen some HUGE returns!

For the 2024 Enjoy Illinois 300, we can tell you Bobbitt and Greco are backing Tyler Reddick to finish ahead of Chase Elliott in a prop bet that pays -110. Reddick is coming off another strong performance, finishing fourth at Charlotte Motor Speedway last week. He now has six top-10 finishes in his last nine points-paying races, and Elliott finished 21st in this race last year.

Bobbitt and Greco have locked in more props and outright bets, including backing one driver who’s over 15-1 to finish in the top 10! You ABSOLUTELY need to see their picks before locking in any NASCAR picks of your own.

So who wins the 2024 Enjoy Illinois 300, and which EPIC longshot is a MUST-BACK? … Join SportsLine right now to see the NASCAR at Gateway best bets, all from the experts who are up more than $26,000!

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Illinois

Counties with the highest unemployment in Illinois

Published

8 hours ago

May 31, 2024

Press Room

Counties with the highest unemployment in Illinois

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#50. Williamson County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 31,320 people (1,357 unemployed)

Henryk Sadura // Shutterstock

#49. Tazewell County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 61,017 people (2,644 unemployed)

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#48. Will County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 373,554 people (16,060 unemployed)

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#47. St. Clair County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 124,884 people (5,535 unemployed)

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#46. Saline County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,756 people (438 unemployed)

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#45. Montgomery County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,307 people (512 unemployed)

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#44. Christian County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 13,290 people (603 unemployed)

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#43. Marion County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 16,524 people (744 unemployed)

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#42. Grundy County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 26,611 people (1,191 unemployed)

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#41. Whiteside County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 27,301 people (1,236 unemployed)

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#40. DeKalb County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 53,982 people (2,455 unemployed)

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#39. Cook County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2.7 million people (119,860 unemployed)

Roberto Galan // Shutterstock

#38. Massac County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,342 people (247 unemployed)

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#37. Mason County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 5,920 people (271 unemployed)

Eddie J. Rodriquez // Shutterstock

#36. Carroll County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,075 people (324 unemployed)

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#35. Fayette County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,586 people (444 unemployed)

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#34. Iroquois County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,910 people (597 unemployed)

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#33. Logan County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,283 people (532 unemployed)

Eddie J. Rodriquez // Shutterstock

#32. Marshall County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,061 people (242 unemployed)

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#31. Perry County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,663 people (370 unemployed)

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#30. Stephenson County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 20,948 people (1,012 unemployed)

Gregory S. King // Shutterstock

#29. Scott County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,267 people (112 unemployed)

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#28. Fulton County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,527 people (718 unemployed)

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#27. Gallatin County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,048 people (103 unemployed)

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#26. Union County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,110 people (354 unemployed)

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#25. Clay County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,756 people (294 unemployed)

Kent Raney // Shutterstock

#24. Rock Island County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 65,829 people (3,388 unemployed)

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#23. Lake County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 361,863 people (18,529 unemployed)

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#22. Clark County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,256 people (376 unemployed)

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#21. Henry County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 23,265 people (1,201 unemployed)

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#20. Putnam County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
— 1-month change: Down 1.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,952 people (157 unemployed)

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#19. Franklin County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 15,862 people (839 unemployed)

Roberto Galan // Shutterstock

#18. Vermilion County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 31,702 people (1,678 unemployed)

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#17. Kane County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
— 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 266,000 people (14,041 unemployed)

Roberto Galan // Shutterstock

#16. Johnson County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,223 people (229 unemployed)

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#15. Lawrence County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,947 people (265 unemployed)

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#14. Ogle County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 23,847 people (1,284 unemployed)

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#13. Hardin County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,436 people (79 unemployed)

Caileb Feik // Shutterstock

#12. Mercer County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,478 people (413 unemployed)

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#11. Stark County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,384 people (133 unemployed)

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#10. Knox County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 20,151 people (1,130 unemployed)

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#9. Peoria County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 81,294 people (4,528 unemployed)

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#8. Macon County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 43,982 people (2,496 unemployed)

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#7. Kankakee County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 51,466 people (2,932 unemployed)

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#6. LaSalle County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 50,861 people (2,959 unemployed)

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#5. Winnebago County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 129,475 people (7,514 unemployed)

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#4. Bureau County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
— 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 15,506 people (922 unemployed)

Roberto Galan // Shutterstock

#3. Alexander County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,815 people (108 unemployed)

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#2. Boone County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
— 1-month change: Down 1.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,413 people (1,569 unemployed)

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#1. Pulaski County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,631 people (127 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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Illinois

Trump Guilty Verdict Local Reactions: Illinois Readers Weigh In

Published

15 hours ago

May 31, 2024

Press Room

Trump Guilty Verdict Local Reactions: Illinois Readers Weigh In

ILLINOIS — On Thursday, a jury in New York convicted former President Donald J. Trump on 34 felony counts in his criminal hush money trial.

It’s the first-ever criminal case against a former U.S. president, and even as Trump still faces charges in three other cases, his sentencing in the hush money case is scheduled for July 11 — just four days before he’s set to officially become the nominee for president at the Republican National Convention.

While Trump’s conviction means he could be sentenced to anything from home confinement to probation to up to four years in prison, he is still eligible to run for president in 2024, and, as multiple outlets have noted, the former president will almost certainly file an appeal.

Patch wants to know — how do voters in Illinois feel? Take our survey below to let us know.

The survey is not scientific, but will give a general gauge of how Illinois Patch readers feel going into the 2024 presidential election. We will share the results in a follow up story.

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