The BA.2 omicron subvariant is accounting for more than half the COVID-19 cases across Chicago as of Thursday, as the city continues to monitor the widespread strain, according to the city’s top doctor.
Over the past week, 235 Chicagoans on average tested positive for COVID each day, according to CDPH data. Chicago's test positivity rose over the last week to 1.4% on an average of 20,304 tests daily.
"It is not surprising to see a slight increase in cases as behavior changes, but we continue to monitor this closely,” Arwady said. “If the increase in cases does concern people, the most important thing you can do to protect yourself from severe outcomes remains the same: ensure you are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations.”
The estimates peg the percentage of BA.2 cases at 50.4% of all COVID cases in a six-state region of the Midwest that includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. CDPH said officials will continue to monitor this strain. Experts have said that they believed that the BA.2 subvariant would ultimately become the dominant strain of the virus in the United States, following a pattern set in China, Israel, and parts of Europe, all of whom are seeing increases in COVID cases due to the variant.
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