A quarter of Will County residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19

About a quarter of all Will County residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the latest public health data.

Illinois Department of Public Health data on Friday showed that 25.3% of Will County’s population is fully vaccinated. More than 690,000 people reside in Will County.

In total, more than 438,000 shots of the vaccine have been administered in the county.

Throughout April, the number of daily doses administered in Will County grew significantly compared with the number of shots given each day throughout March.

As of Thursday, about 7,600 shots were being administered per day in the county, compared with about 5,200 shots per day one month before.

Much of that progress came after the Will County Health Department, with the help of the IDPH and the Illinois National Guard, opened a mass vaccination site at the former Toys R Us store in Joliet. The capacity at that clinic also has increased since it opened on April 1.

The county health department also has opened clinics in Wilmington and Monee.

Still, other agencies running clinics around the county have recently noticed a steep dip in demand and a sudden wide availability of appointment slots.

Steve Brandy, a spokesman for the Will County Health Department, said the vaccination rollout has gotten through much of the older, more vulnerable residents, who were eager to get vaccinated. Now, it’s a “matter of convincing” younger residents who may be more skeptical or feel it’s less urgent to receive a shot, he said.

“Some younger people say, ‘I don’t trust it, I don’t need it,’ ” Brandy said. “A lot of people don’t think the precaution is needed.”

In addition, Will County’s recent uptick in new COVID-19 cases also has appeared to stall, as its rolling average test positivity rate has leveled off.

The county’s positivity rate rose from a recent low of below 4% in mid-March, to about 6.5% earlier this month. As of Tuesday, the positivity rate stood at 6.1%.

The positivity rate in Region 7, which includes Will and Kankakee counties, stood at 5.8%.

Source: The Daily Chronicle