Do you still have free government home COVID tests? You may want to check the expiration date.

Plus, how worried is Chicago’s top doctor about the city’s rising case count?

Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic in Illinois today:

Do at-home COVID tests, including free government ones, expire?

With home COVID testing now readily available, some might be saving for when they need to test, but how long can you actually wait?

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, tests, including those sent to Americans free of charge by the government, may expire.

Learn more here.

Chicago’s COVID cases are rising, but the spread remains low according to the city’s Top Doc

The city of Chicago is seeing an uptick in COVID cases, but Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, told a news conference Thursday that there was one key takeaway that she wants the people of Chicago to pay attention.

“We continue to see cases, but overall the outbreak remains well under control,” Arwady said.

Community spread currently remains low, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.

On Thursday, the city of Chicago recorded 304 new COVID cases, an increase of 28% over the past week.

Learn more here.

Airline mask mandate: which ones dropped the requirement and where?

In line with their country’s respective health and safety guidelines, several international airlines have changed their face mask policies, allowing travelers to choose whether they wear one on certain flights.

In the United States, the Transportation Security Administration has extended its masking requirement on public transportation — which encompasses buses, trains, planes and transportation facilities — until April 18. It is unclear whether this term will be extended again as this deadline approaches.

So while flights within the United States will continue to require masks, whether or not you should wear one on an international flight depends, however.

Here is a list of airlines that have changed their mask mandates so far.

Illinois COVID measures: State reports more than 2,000 new cases for first time since February

For the first time in more than a month, the state of Illinois reported more than 2,000 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID in a single day, part of a sustained increase in new diagnoses over the past last weeks.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 2,194 new cases were reported by labs in the past 24 hours. This is the first time since Feb. 26 that the state has reported more than 2,000 new cases in a single day.

Learn more here.

Why Chicago’s top doctor isn’t worried about the emergence of the COVID XE variant yet

A new hybrid variant of COVID known as XE spreading in the UK is making a lot of headlines with concerns about its transmissibility, but Chicago’s top doctor says she doesn’t care instant.

“Mostly it’s been detected in the UK, several hundred cases, but nothing at this stage clearly shows major concern or spread,” said Dr Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Department of Public Health. of Chicago, in a statement. “And so it hasn’t even been labeled at this point, an official variant of interest.”

Arwady noted that while the recombinant variant has already been detected in the United States, no cases were reported in Chicago or Illinois on Monday.

Learn more here.

What is the XE COVID variant and where has it been detected so far?

A new hybrid variant of COVID known as XE spreading in the UK is making headlines, but what exactly is it and why are health officials taking notice?

Here’s a look at what we know so far.

COVID symptoms in children: Here are the signs parents should watch out for

As children head back to school after spring break and some still can’t get the COVID-19 vaccine, many parents are wondering what symptoms they need to be aware of in children.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children have similar symptoms to adults and, in many cases, have milder illness.

“While children are as likely to get COVID-19 as adults, children are less likely to get seriously ill,” reports the Mayo Clinic. “Up to 50% of children and adolescents can have COVID-19 without symptoms. However, some children with COVID-19 need to be hospitalized, treated in an intensive care unit, or placed on a ventilator to help them breathe.”

Learn more here.

COVID vs allergies: here’s how to tell the difference

With pollen sweeping the air and lingering COVID variants, it can be difficult to pinpoint the culprit behind the sneeze. So how can you tell the difference between the two?

Experts say the only real way to know the answer is to get tested, but until then health officials say treat all possible symptoms like COVID.

Here is a list of COVID and allergy symptoms as outlined by the CDC.