January 25, 2022
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Nearly 65% of Will County residents have at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose

New COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continued to rise in Will County as of early this past week, public health data show

By Alex Ortiz
covid-19, vaccine, lockport, fairmont school district, education

A sign directs visitors to a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Fairmont School District in Lockport on Nov. 17, 2021. (Alex Ortiz)

Just under 65% of Will County residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the latest public health data.

Out of nearly 700,000 county residents, 64.9% have received at least one dose and about 58.4% of the population is fully vaccinated, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported.

The IDPH also reported that as of last Wednesday, more than 87,000 booster doses had been administered in Will County.

About 14.6% of the county’s residents age 5 to 11 have received at least one dose.

New COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continued to rise in Will County, which had a 5.5% test positivity rate as of Nov. 21.

On Oct. 22, the county’s COVID-19 test positivity rate was only 3%.

As of Nov. 23, there were 112 COVID-19 patients in the hospital in the South Suburban Region, which includes Will and Kankakee counties. One month before, there were fewer than 70 COVID-19 patients in the region’s hospitals.

The Will County Health Department is urging residents who have already received their original COVID-19 vaccinations to get their booster shots once they are eligible.

For information on how to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, go to willcountyhealth.org.