217 Today: Reduced contact tracing leaves people who test positive confused about what to do next

Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022

Today’s headlines:

  • Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s campaign is taking in more money than the entire Republican field of candidates combined.

  • Both hospitalizations and the number of people requiring intensive care after being infected with COVID-19 have fallen daily over the last week. Now, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is cautiously optimistic the Omicron wave of the pandemic has peaked. 

  • The Illinois State Board of Education is working on solutions to bring more teachers and substitutes into the classroom.

As the latest COVID surge continues, some states have scaled back contact tracing efforts. In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn how this has led to confusion about what people should do if they test positive.

217 Today is produced by Farrah Anderson. Reporting today contributed by Alex Degman, Susie An and Steph Whiteside.

Farrah Anderson

Farrah Anderson is a 2024 graduate of the University of Illinois. At Illinois Public Media, Anderson works as a general assignment reporter focusing on police and investigative stories.