State Representative Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) is asking for more transparency from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) concerning their method to determine COVID-19 variants.
“Since the first covid case was reported 18 months ago in our state, my constituents are asking me how the state healthcare agency is testing, and identifying new covid variants,” said Rep. Caulkins. “The people want to know how the government decides what a new variant is and what is not. We also need to know the facts about who is getting sick, their immunization status and what variant they have. There needs to be more transparency to IDPH’s methods and tracking as this virus affects us all.”
Rep. Caulkins sent IDPH a letter today seeking answers to the following questions:
- How does IDPH test for COVID-19 variants?
- Does IDPH test for new variants for every covid test conducted in the state?
- What is the methodology for determining a COVID-19 variant?
- Is every person hospitalized with COVID-19 tested to determine what variant they carry?
- Are all “breakthrough” cases recorded and tracked by the vaccine previously taken?
Caulkins is asking for a prompt response from the Department of Public Health as he feels there needs to be more transparency in how the State of Illinois determines, manages and mitigates COVID-19 variants.