The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,157 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and another 37 virus-related deaths — including a teenage girl from Cook County.

City officials on Tuesday announced changes to Chicago’s quarantine order. Starting Friday, 18 states and Puerto Rico will be on the list.

Starting Wednesday, people visiting bars and restaurants in Illinois will be required to wear face coverings during all of their interactions with staff, whether they are sitting indoors or outdoors, according to a new policy.

State health officials reported nearly 1,900 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and another six virus-related deaths — five of them among Cook County residents, including a woman and man in their 40s.

As the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,208 new cases of the coronavirus across the state Friday, it said 20 counties, including two in the Chicago area, have reached a warning level for the virus.

As many as 215,000 more people than usual died in the U.S. during the first seven months of 2020. And half the dead were people of color — Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and, to a marked degree unrecognized until now, Asian Americans.

One in five U.S. nursing homes faced severe shortages of protective gear like N95 masks this summer even as the Trump administration pledged to help, according to a study released Thursday.

With more than 170,000 coronavirus-related deaths so far reported in the U.S. in 2020, the virus is on pace to becoming the third leading cause of death this year, according to the National Safety Council.

Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Department of Public Health, said the spread of the virus remains high among city residents between the ages of 18 and 29 as well as among Latino Chicagoans.

To help Illinois residents make informed decisions about travel, the Illinois Department of Public Health on Monday launched a COVID-19 travel map, which indicates states and countries with increased risk based on COVID-19 case rates.

In a country that’s surpassed 5 million identified cases and 169,000 deaths, researchers don’t know why there appear to be so few outbreaks among the homeless. 

A Cook County woman in her 30s was among the 18 deaths reported Sunday by the Illinois Department of Public Health, as Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced new mitigation efforts in the Metro East region of the state.

Around the U.S., office workers sent home when the coronavirus took hold in March are returning to the world of cubicles and conference rooms and facing certain adjustments, including daily questions about their health.

As protests and rallies sprung up across the U.S. in the wake of George Floyd’s death, health care workers showed their support for the movement by volunteering as street medics to treat protesters. 

Mayo Clinic researchers reported a strong hint that blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors helps other patients recover, but it’s not proof and some experts worry if, amid clamor for the treatment, they’ll ever get a clear answer.

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday reported 2,264 new coronavirus cases and said 14 counties have reached a warning level for the virus.