December 21, 2024
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Will County’s new COVID-19 cases fall to lowest level in three months

IDPH reports 64% of Will County residents are fully vaccinated, 71% have had at least one dose

By Alex Ortiz
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A sign posted on the Will County Courthouse in downtown Joliet tells visitors face masks are required to enter the building. (Alex Ortiz)

The number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the Will County region have fallen to the lowest levels since last November, before the highly contagious omicron variant causes cases to surge.

As of last Tuesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported Will County’s rolling average COVID-19 test positivity rate stood at 4.3%.

It’s the lowest test positivity rate the county has seen since mid-November of 2021.

Shortly after, the omicron variant spread rapidly causing new cases and hospitalizations to increase to the highest levels over the two years of the pandemic.

The rolling average of COVID-19 hospital patients in the South Suburban Region, which includes Will and Kankakee counties, stood at 76 as of Thursday. Back in January, the number of hospitalizations in the region reached a pandemic peak of nearly 400.

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Ridge Elementary School kindergartners in Tina Swanson's class put 10 fresh cranberries on a string to then measure items around the room on Tuesday, November 23, 2021. (Provided)

Still, intensive care unit bed utilization in the region remains high with only 19 ICU beds staffed and available out of 133 as of last Thursday.

Hospitalizations and new cases across the state have been trending down significantly over the past several weeks.

More than 1,400 people in Will County have died from COVID-19.

The number of daily vaccinations in Will County have dropped to under 900 per day, according to the IDPH.

About 64.6% of Will County’s nearly 700,000 residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 71.1% have had at least one dose.

A little over 219,000 booster shots have been administered in Will County.

A patient receives their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, April 1, 2021, in Joliet, Ill. Another mass vaccination site was opened in Joliet on Thursday, with help from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the National Guard. (Geoff Stellfox - gstellfox@shawmedia.com/Geoff Stellfox - gstellfox@shawmedia.com)

The Plainfield Public Library and the state of Illinois are hosting a free COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Saturday, Feb. 26 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All vaccine options will be available including pediatric vaccines. For more information and to register, visit plainfieldpubliclibrary.org.

The Will County Health Department announced this month it will begin to offer free drive-up COVID-19 PCR testing at its main office, located at 501 Ella Ave. in Joliet.

Testing will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Feb. 22 to 25, Feb. 28 to March 3, and March 7 to 10.

Those interested in getting tested are asked to drive up, complete a short registration process, and give a self-test as directed. There will not be any need to leave their vehicle throughout the process.

Participants should enter from Neal Avenue and move to the north end of the parking lot. Test results will be emailed to participants as soon as two days after their test.

For more information on COVID-19 or to find the nearest vaccine clinic, visit willcountyhealth.org or call 815-774-7386.

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