THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH IS KEEPING AN EYE ON THE NEW "KRAKEN" COVID VARIANT. 

THE NUMBER OF OVERALL COVID INFECTIONS HAS BEEN DROPPING, BUT THERE'S BEEN A GRADUAL INCREASE IN THE X-B-B-POINT-ONE-POINT-FIVE, OR THE "KRAKEN" VARIANT. STATE PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR DOCTOR SAMEER VOHRA:

COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN FALLING, BUT THE PRESENCE OF THE X-B-B-POINT-ONE-POINT FIVE OR "KRAKEN" VARIANT HAS BEEN SLOWLY INCREASING SAYS STATE PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR DOCTOR SAMEER VOHRA. HE NOTES THAT SO FAR, THIS HASN'T CAUSED AN INCREASE IN HOSPITALIZATIONS.

VOHRA SAYS THE BIVALENT COVID BOOSTER WILL HELP PROTECT AGAINST THE KRAKEN VARIANT. AT LAST COUNT, NO ILLINOIS COUNTIES WERE AT A HIGH RISK FOR TRANSMISSION OF THE VIRUS AND 20 COUNTIES WERE AT MEDIUM RISK. THAT'S AN IMPROVEMENT FROM THE PREVIOUS WEEK.