Will County Health Center to offer more free COVID-19 testing for public

Will County residents will have more opportunities to get tested for COVID-19 for free in the coming weeks.

The Will County Health Center has been offering free testing for the public at several locations around the county throughout the pandemic.

The testing sites will be open to the public for walk-ins only between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the designated dates, unless otherwise stated. Members of the public looking to get tested are asked to bring a photo ID and their insurance card, if they have one. Insurance is not required to get a test.

Those tested will not receive a bill and the health center will not collect money at these locations. For those with insurance, a small administrative fee will be billed directly to their insurance for the cost of processing the sample.

Testing will take place at the Joliet Park District facility, located at 3000 W. Jefferson St. in Joliet on Oct. 13.

The health center will also be testing at the Will County Office Building, located at 302 N. Chicago St. in Joliet on Oct. 14.

There will also be testing at the Daybreak Center, located at 611 E. Cass St. in Joliet on Oct. 15 starting at 10:30 a.m.

The Will County Health Department will also continue to offer weekly testing opportunities at its other facilities in the northern and eastern parts of the county.

Testing will be available at the health department's Bolingbrook branch, 323 Quadrangle Drive, on Fridays, including this Friday.

There will also be testing on Mondays at the health department's Monee branch, located at 5601 Monee-Manhattan Road, including next Monday.

Will County's rolling average COVID-19 test positivity rate has continued to decline over the last two weeks. As of Thursday, the county's positivity rate stood at 5.1%, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The test positivity rate for the South Suburban region, which includes Will and Kankakee counties, was 5.2% as of Thursday.

The number of COVID-19 deaths in Will County had remained relatively steady, although the Will County Health Department reported three deaths on Wednesday, including two men in their 70s and a woman in her 70s.

In total, 384 people from Will County have died due to COVID-19. About 87% of those who have died in Will County were in their 60s or older, according to county data.

As the fall arrives, the county health department is also asking residents to get their flu shot.

For more information related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Will County, visit willcountyhealth.com.