IDPH 'Closely Monitoring' BA.2 Omicron Subvariant Trends

CHICAGO — Although the number of people with the coronavirus in Illinois hospitals is continuing to drop, state public health officials are closely monitoring the BA.2 omicron subvariant of COVID-19 and preparing for the possibility of a new wave of coronavirus infections.

The BA.2 omicron subvariant, thought to be 30 to 50 percent more transmissible than the original omicron variant, currently makes up an estimated one in four new COVID-19 cases in the state, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday.

"Illinois is currently in a good place. The number of admissions and COVID patients in hospitals continues to stabilize and drop across the state, that is what I look at most closely," Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference in Chicago.

"The virus is very much still here and with us, and it isn't going away, but with vaccines, with the existing variants that we have, they're manageable," he said. "However, we've seen other countries impose new mitigations because of their experiences with this more transmissible subvariant."

Over the past week in the United Kingdom, new infections are up by 37 percent and hospitalizations up by 25 percent. In the past month, new infections there have doubled and hospitalizations are up by 50 percent. And in Germany, new daily infections have set all-time records. The spikes in both countries come as the omicron subvariant supplants the original variant, but there has not been a parallel increase in deaths in either country.

According to the most recent data available from Illinois Department of Public Health's website, which does not differentiate between omicron and its subvariant, 100 percent of cases in Illinois were a form of the omicron variant for the week ending March 12.

Meanwhile, the number of people with coronavirus in the state's hospitals has reached its lowest level since July 2021 — only 528 COVID-19 patients statewide.

Pritzker said the state's stockpile of pandemic-related supplies is nearly fully replenished, with 1.5 million rapid tests on hand and 500,000 to arrive in the coming weeks.

"I'm also calling on all schools to consider their current testing capacity and make sure that they're prepared with a strong testing plan in place if we experience another surge," he said. "Testing allows you to monitor the prevalence of infection, which will help keep children in our classrooms and keep educators and staff safe."

With new, FDA-approved oral COVID-19 treatments — pills now available with a prescription at most Walgreens and Walmarts — the governor recommended Illinoisans contact their healthcare providers to make sure that they can get the medications within five days if they do test positive.

"The world seems smaller, doesn't it? The world just seems smaller and more connected because of COVID. So what's happening elsewhere could possibly affect us right here," Pritzker said. "For now, though, things in Illinois are improving."