Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday that he has appointed pediatrician Dr. Sameer Vohra to lead the state health department starting Aug. 1.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike will take over as the new president and CEO of Sinai Chicago on June 13. “I received many calls about various opportunities over the past year, but this is the right choice for me and the right moment. Sinai Chicago is where I want to be,” Ezike said in a statement. 

Dr. Ngozi Ezike’s last day as director of the Illinois Department of Public Health is March 14. In a one-one-one interview, she spoke about her plans for the future and reflected on the last two years of COVID-19 response efforts. 

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Illinois’ top doctor and the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, will step down on March 14, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday.

After 182 days, Gov. J.B. Pritzker lifted the statewide mandate on Monday as confirmed cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations continued to drop precipitously after the surge driven by the omicron variant. 

As COVID-19 hospitalizations surge, more than 2,000 health care workers will be sent to hospitals to help care for those who are ill. 

Dr. Ngozi Ezike breaks down the latest Illinois COVID-19 numbers and says the debate over the safety of in-person learning is nuanced. 

“I fear the climb will continue” with the surge accelerated by post-holiday gathering infections, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday.

With cases of COVID-19 skyrocketing and hospitalizations surging in Illinois, officials are pleading with unvaccinated residents to change their minds about receiving shots.

Illinois will have a “robust supply” of COVID-19 vaccines for kids ages 5 to 11 as soon as they receive approval, according to Gov. J.B. Pritzker. “Parents should be able to breathe a sigh of relief they’ve been holding in for 18 months,” he said.

All licensed day care center staff in Illinois must receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Dec. 3, according to an executive order issued Friday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Staff who are not fully vaccinated by Dec. 3 must, at a minimum, undergo weekly testing until they’re fully vaccinated.

“Although we are already into fall, we are expecting a warm weekend and West Nile virus remains a risk until the first hard frost,” Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a statement. 

Flu season is right around the corner and new COVID-19 variants are expected to emerge in the coming months. Dr. Ngozi Ezike joins us to discuss the latest COVID-19 developments in Illinois as cases continue to climb due to the highly contagious delta variant. 

A Lake County man in his 80s who awoke to a bat on his neck in mid-August is the first person to have contracted the disease in Illinois in more than 65 years, according to state health officials. 

Echoing recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Illinois health officials are recommending COVID-19 booster shots for older adults, as well as front-line workers and people who live in group settings.

After a weekslong surge in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday announced an indoor mask mandate for all Illinois residents and a vaccine requirement for pre-K through 12th grade teachers and staff, among others.