With COVID-19 spreading out of control in our communities, we are sharing some sites we consider to be providing the best and clearest information. We hope some of this will be useful to you and help you and those you care about to stay safe and healthy.
Please stay home to help save lives. Given the severe threat of COVID-19 and ongoing community spread, Health & Medicine encourages you and yours to stay home as much as possible. We know that this can be difficult given pandemic fatigue, the holiday season, social isolation, and people’s various needs. We know the pain people are facing in terms of loneliness, missing family and friends, homelessness, and many racial, social, and economic injustices that COVID-19 has deepened and further exposed. Increased risk of spread will only lead to a worse pandemic. We’re all called to do everything in our power to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19.
We realize not everyone can always stay home with people in their households, including those who are essential workers or who provide essential support to family and friends, which can require leaving your home. Some will choose to see friends or family for the holidays, and if you do so, we hope you will mitigate risk by taking as many precautions as possible. If you can stay home, we urge you to do so.
If for some reason you do visit someone outside of your household, whether for necessity––or by choice against public health guidance––remember to have everyone wear a mask, keep physical distance, meet in the outdoors if possible (or with lots of ventilation), and wash your hands often. Also, being with a very small number of people for a minimal amount of time can help to reduce risk of transmission. Again, we recommend along with other public health agencies, to stay home if at all possible to protect against the spread of deadly COVID-19.
We hope you find the resources we have collected here useful, and urge you to stay safe, stay home, and save lives.
Illinois Department of Public Health
- General Information: http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19
- Data: http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid19-statistics
- News: Governor. J.B. Pritzker’s new coronavirus restrictions take effect today. Here’s everything you need to know about them.
- Testing: http://www.dph.illinois.gov/testing
- Contact Tracing: http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/contact-tracing
- Contact information: hotline: 1-800-889-3931 email: DPH.SICK@ILLINOIS.GOV
- Text Alerts: For English, text “COVID” to 312-500-3836. For Spanish, text “COVID ESP” to 312-500-3836.
- Twitter: @IDPH
- Symptoms and Treatment (In English and Spanish): http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-z-list/coronavirus/symptoms-treatment
Cook County Department of Public Health
- General information: https://cookcountypublichealth.org/communicable-diseases/covid-19/
- In Spanish: https://cookcountypublichealth.org/communicable-diseases/covid-19-sp/
- Data: https://ccdphcd.shinyapps.io/covid19/
- Resource requests: Visit Resource Requests page and/or download form here.
- Testing: https://cookcountypublichealth.org/covid-19-testing/
- Contact Tracing: https://cookcountypublichealth.org/communicable-diseases/covid-19/contact-tracing/
- Contact Information: phone: 708-836-8600 email: ccdph.covid19@cookcountyhhs.org
- CCDPH COVID-19 Hotline: at 708-836-4755, Monday thru Friday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Social media: on Facebook and Twitter
- Text Alerts: Send a text that reads: ALERTCOOK (one-word) to 888-777
- Healthcare providers, hospitals, assisted living and long-term care facilities: To report an illness or death call 708-836-8600 and follow prompts 24/
Chicago Department of Public Health
- General information: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home.html
- Data: https://chi.gov/coviddash
- News: This week, the Chicago Department of Public Health published these slides, with an estimate that as many as 1 in 15 Chicagoans may currently be infectious with COVID-19
- Testing: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/managing-your-health.html?#tab-shouldtest
- Protect Chicago: Links for organizations/individuals to promote prevention through social media and volunteering https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/protect-chicago.html
- Contact Tracing: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/contact-tracing.html
- Contact Information: phone: 312-746-4835 and Email: coronavirus@chicago.gov
- Twitter: @ChiPublicHealth
- Notices from the Chicago Department of Public Health: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/VwvbSW5/coronavirus
- Travel Advisory: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/emergency-travel-order.html
Useful General Information Resources
- Symptoms and Treatment (In English and Spanish)
- State Testing Sites
- Contact Tracing Info