Data show 55% of Will County residents are fully vaccinated for COVID-19

Will County health officials prepare to administer more vaccines ahead of federal approval of booster shots

A patient receives their second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, at the Will County Health Department in Joliet, Ill. The Will County Health Department is accelerating vaccination efforts throughout the region.

New data show that 55% of Will County’s nearly 700,000 residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported the milestone on Tuesday.

The mark came as new COVID-19 cases are on the decline in recent weeks, after a sharp increase while the highly contagious delta variant spread across the nation.

Vaccinations have continued in the county at about 1,000 shots per day, according to IDPH data.

Will County health officials are awaiting a decision from federal regulators on the need for a third shot of the Pfizer vaccine. An advisory committee endorsed a third Pfizer shot only for older people and those in high risk situations.

A decision has not yet been made for those who received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Cindy Jackson, the Will County Health Department’s Director of Mass Vaccination, said she is looking into how her department will accommodate booster shots once approved. She said the health department should be able to administer those booster shots, but more providers are also around than when vaccines first became available earlier this year.

“There’re many more options compared to when we first rolled this out,” Jackson said.

She added that there are about 148 vaccine providers in the county, including medical offices and pharmacies, far more than when vaccines first became available.

Jackson also said the health department was waiting for federal authorization to give vaccines to children as young at 5 years old. Children as young as 12 are able to receive the Pfizer vaccine under an emergency use authorization.

Nikki Manzella receives her first dose of the Pfizer  COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, March 26, 2021, at St. Rose Church in Wilmington, Ill.

She said the health department is planning on distributing a survey to parents to gauge how much interest there is in getting younger children vaccinated. When the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for children as young as 12, the health department held clinics at schools around the county.

The preparations also come as schools and other employers have been implementing procedures to abide by executive orders from Gov. JB Pritzker and President Joe Biden to require workers to get vaccinated or tested regularly.

For more information, including where to find the nearest vaccine clinic, visit willcountyhealth.org.