Will County Health Officials Warn Residents To Stay Vigilant

LOCKPORT, IL ­­— Although nearly half of Will County’s population has been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, local health officials are warning residents to continue to be vigilant as positive cases involving the delta variant continue to rise across the country.

As of July 19, the county’s seven-day rolling average for COVID-19 cases out of total tests performed was 2.8 percent, according to Will County Health Department data. But on Tuesday, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention recommended that fully vaccinated residents across the country may need to go back to wearing masks indoors as case numbers continue to rise.

In Will County, health officials said that unvaccinated residents should continue to wear masks in public places, practice social distancing, wash their hands frequently and adhere to other health guidelines.

“The COVID-19 vaccine is very effective in protecting the public health and controlling the number of positive cases,” Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant said in a news release on Tuesday. “But this virus continues to mutate and produce other variants that can make people sick. We are encouraging people to protect their health and get vaccinated.”

While the rise in COVID-19 cases nationally has drawn the attention of health officials across the U.S., no federal mandates have been given, which puts the onus on local health officials.

“COVID-19 has different effects across the country,” Will County Health Department epidemiologist Alpesh Patel said in the news release. “Working with the Illinois Department of Public Health, we have been closely monitoring the rise in the number of positive cases in Will County in recent weeks. Now is the time to slow down and resume our precautions to limit the spread as much as possible.”

Patel encourages people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. And while it may not totally prevent any infection, people may not get as sick or die from the virus, local health officials warned. Getting vaccinated will substantially decrease transmission of the variants, Patel said, and the more people who are vaccinated, the less transmission of any COVID strain.

“The research has proven the vaccine is effective in preventing and/or reducing the intensity of the Delta variant infection,” he said. “Being fully vaccinated, could mean the difference between life and death as we continue to learn more about this Delta variant.”

For information about the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine in Will County and where shots are being offered, click here.