Nearly 40% of DuPage County residents fully vaccinated

More than 37%, or 346,628, of DuPage County residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a DuPage County Health Department [DCHD] news release.

Of the DuPage County residents currently eligible, nearly 62%, or 458,162, have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Additionally, 89% of residents age 65 and older have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. In the past week, more than 36,000 vaccine doses were administered into the arms of DuPage County residents for a total of 804,790 doses administered to date, the release stated.

“As Mother’s Day approaches this weekend, we encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their loved ones,” Karen Ayala, DCHD executive director, said in the release. “The sooner we all get vaccinated, the sooner we can put an end to this pandemic and get back to the people and places we love.”

This week, the DCHD COVID-19 Community Vaccination Clinic at the DuPage County Fairgrounds began offering walk-in vaccinations to provide convenient opportunities to anyone 16 years and older.

Walk-in hours have been extended and will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

To save time, individuals are encouraged to register at this link any time before their visit. For information about what to expect and how to prepare, visit www.dupagehealth.org/688/COVID-19-Vaccination-Clinic-DuPage-Count.

The DCHD continues to work towards achieving the goal of vaccinating 80% of eligible DuPage County residents by July 1. To help do so, the DCHD is partnering with municipalities, businesses and community-based organizations to bring smaller COVID-19 vaccine clinics closer to individuals who have not yet been vaccinated.

These smaller COVID-19 vaccine clinics can administer a scalable number of vaccines depending on the demand at a particular event and day/time. Clinics are available for 10 to 50 individuals or 51 to 200 individuals. To request an onsite mobile vaccination clinic, please complete this form or learn more at www.dupagehealth.org/692/COVID-19-Vaccine-Organizations.

Any individuals, 16 years and older, who are homebound or who cannot safely leave their residence to visit a vaccination clinic are eligible to be vaccinated through our homebound vaccination program and should register at www.dupagehealth.org/covid19vaccineregistration, or call 630-682-7400 for assistance. When registering, the form will provide an opportunity to indicate you require homebound services.

As vaccination efforts continue throughout DuPage County, residents are reminded of the substantial COVID-19 community transmission levels. The highest case activity continues to be observed in unvaccinated adults 20- to 39-years-old and 40- to 59-years-old as well as youth 5- to 19-years-old.

Additionally, the DCHD is closely monitoring reports of COVID-19 variants in the county. These variants are classified as COVID-19 variants of concern as they spread more easily and quickly than other variants and likely cause more severe disease based on hospitalizations and case-fatality rates. Based on national and state-level genomic surveillance efforts to date, 226 cases of B.1.1.7, 33 cases of P.1, and 39 cases of B.1.427/B.1.429 variants have been identified in DuPage County as of May 5. In Illinois, 2,832 cases of B.1.1.7, 1,036 cases of P.1, and 399 cases of B.1.427/429 variants have been reported as of May 4.

For DuPage County-specific vaccine data, including first dose allocations by week and allocations by provider type, are available on the COVID-19 Dashboard at www.dupagehealth.org/covid19data.

Additional COVID-19 vaccine information about local efforts, frequently asked questions, vaccination data, and more is available atwww.dupagehealth.org/covid19vaccine.

For general questions about COVID-19 and Illinois’ response and guidance, call 800-889- 3931 or email DPH.SICK@ILLINOIS.GOV.