Flu activity in suburban Cook County jumped from “low” to “high” during the week ending in Dec. 20, according to health officials. Chicago’s public health department reported “high” levels of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for flu late last week.

Chicago and suburban Cook County residents will have opportunities Saturday and through the next several months to receive free flu and COVID-19 shots, as local public health departments roll out their immunization outreach efforts.

A suburban Cook County resident in their 60s has died from the West Nile virus, the Cook County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday. The risk of West Nile virus in suburban Cook County remains high, according to the public health agency.

The latest COVID-19 vaccines were approved for people who are 65 and older or have certain health conditions. But medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics — and some states — are breaking from the federal guidelines by expanding their recommendations.

“We are in the middle of a mental health crisis, particularly with our young people,” said Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps, who represents parts of the West Side. “Our children are both imploding and exploding at the same time.”

State officials say the Trump administration is pulling back $477 million aimed at preventing infectious disease and treating mental health and substance abuse issues.

There were about five times as many emergency department visits for flu as there were for COVID-19, according to IDPH data during the week ending Jan. 25.

The measles case involves an unvaccinated individual and was confirmed by public health officials on Wednesday.

Narcan, which comes as nasal spray and was initially approved for over-the-counter sale by the Food and Drug Administration in March, is expected to hit shelves at stores like Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy and Walmart as soon as next week. The life-saving medication is expected to retail at stores for $45.

Toxic lead-based paint was banned in 1978, but the threat of poisoning persists. In suburban Cook County, officials say as many as half a million homes have lead paint hazards that present enormous health threats for young children.

In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, city and county officials hired hundreds of contact tracers to help stop the spread of the coronavirus as the sheer number of cases overwhelmed local health departments. But as the coronavirus pandemic enters an endemic phase, contact tracing will become more targeted, according to officials.

Fewer than 10 omicron cases have been detected in suburban Cook County, according to Dr. Rachel Rubin, co-lead and senior medical officer of the Cook County Department of Public Health. But additional cases are under investigation.

The first case of the omicron variant in suburban Cook County was reported Tuesday, according to county health officials.

The announcement by the Cook County Department of Public Health comes after health officials in New York City, Colorado and California urged all adults to get a booster dose of the vaccine.

As thousands of music lovers flocked to Grant Park for the first day of Lollapalooza, a surge of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Chicago and the suburbs prompted Gov. J.B. Pritzker to reimpose a mask mandate in state facilities for everyone, regardless of their vaccination status.

“To any who have been hesitating about being vaccinated, please I implore you to hesitate no longer. We’re very concerned about the spread of this so-called delta variant,” said Dr. Kiran Joshi of the Cook County Department of Public Health. “Please go out, get vaccinated.”