Arlington Park Now Open 6 Days For Testing Amid Omicron Surge

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — With new cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant surging across the state and the nation, a mass testing and vaccination site in Arlington Heights will be open six days a week. The Illinois Department of Public Health and Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday the site at Arlington International Racecourse, 823 Wilke Road, will now be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The State of Illinois Community-Based Testing Sites are open to all regardless of symptoms. Appointment are not required. Sites may close due to weather conditions.

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On Dec. 30 — the last day for which data was available — the state reported 30,386 new coronavirus cases, five times higher than the same day last month and more than double the previous daily record set amid last fall's surge.

As of Christmas Day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the highly contagious omicron variant accounted for nearly 59 percent of all new cases in the country — despite previously slashing its estimates by nearly 50 percentage points.

To find out more about where testing is available in Illinois, visit here.