Be prepared: Surge of winter sickness likely on its way, city’s top doc says

Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady received a COVD-19 booster Tuesday at a CVS pharmacy on the South Side. She urged others to do the same. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

With the worst of the winter illnesses not yet upon us, the city’s top public health official is urging residents to make sure they’re fully vaccinated.

And Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady issued a warning Tuesday: “My biggest concern is that it’s only November, and RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] has already come and hit us hard. … If we see a significant surge — and we will see some surge, no doubt — of flu and of COVID on top of that, particularly for kids, we may run out of good hospital capacity.”