COVID-19 deaths in Will County surpass 1,500, data show

More than 1,500 people in Will County have died from COVID-19, according to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The grim milestone comes as the number of new cases and hospitalizations has continued to dwindle to the lowest marks since last summer, before the surges brought on by the highly contagious delta and omicron variants.

More than 33,000 people in Illinois have died of the disease.

As of Thursday, there were 27 COVID-19 patients in the hospital in the South Suburban Region, which includes Will and Kankakee counties. Just a month before, there were 122 patients in the region’s hospitals with COVID-19.

As of Tuesday, Will County’s rolling average COVID-19 test positivity rate fell to 2.3%. About a month before, the county’s test positivity rate was more than 8%, according to IDPH data.

In addition, the number of vaccinations administered each day in Will County has decreased to fewer than 500 a day.

The IDPH also reported that 65.5% of Will County’s nearly 700,000 residents are fully vaccinated and about 71.7% have received at least one vaccine dose.

About 90.4% of Will Count residents age 65 and older are fully vaccinated, according to IDPH data.

Also fully vaccinated are:

• 71.6% of residents ages 18 to 64.

• 62.7% of residents ages 12 to 17.

• 33.4% of residents ages 5 to 11.

More than 225,000 booster shots have been administered in Will County, according to the IDPH.

For information, including where to find the nearest vaccine clinic, visit willcountyhealth.org or call 815-774-7386.