Will County Opens Vaccine Eligibility To All Residents Monday

WILL COUNTY, IL — The Will County Health Department will open COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all county residents 16 and older on Monday, the health department said in a release Friday. The health department is urging residents to schedule vaccine appointments and practice COVID-19 safety as county cases have risen over the past two weeks.

“As we move into universal eligibility, we want to provide direct access to Will County residents to schedule online and are adding additional vaccine appointments,” said Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. “Between the state clinics and our clinics, we will be able to deliver nearly 4,000 vaccinations per day in Will County.”

According to the release, Will County residents will no longer have to register with the health department to schedule a vaccine. All registered residents have been invited to schedule their appointment over the past two weeks.

“We have made tremendous progress over the past three weeks, adding three new vaccine locations in Joliet, Wilmington and Monee as we received more vaccines from the state,” Will County Health Department Executive Director Sue Olenek said in a release. “By removing the registration process, we can provide greater access to available appointments for our residents.”

The Will County Health Department runs five open vaccination sites including: Will County Health Department, 501 Ella Ave., Joliet; former Toys R Us, 3128 Voyager Lane, Joliet; Joliet West High School, 401 N. Larkin Ave., Joliet; Rose School, 626 S. Kankakee St., Wilmington; and a vaccine clinic at 6370 Emerald Parkway in Monee.

In addition, the health department said there are 60 locations in Will County that are providing vaccine appointments including Walgreens, Jewel-Osco, Meijer, Mariano’s, Oak Street Health, and Aunt Martha’s.

As of Friday, 17.43 percent of the county's population is fully vaccinated, according to data from IDPH.

“As we open up the scheduling, I want to encourage everyone to schedule your vaccine and to keep practicing safe measures including wearing your masks,” said Bertino-Tarrant. “We are seeing a rise in Covid-19 positivity tests and an uptick in hospitalizations.”

The health department said Will County is at a 5.5 percent positivity rate on a seven-day rolling average which has been increasing over the past two weeks.

“Vaccine availability has to be accompanied by COVID-19 safety measures to prevent another wave of Covid-19 cases and deaths,” said Olenek.

Will County vaccine registration can be accessed online and can also be scheduled through a dedicated vaccine appointment hotline at 815-774-7386, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“The COVID-19 vaccine is one of the most powerful tools we can use to win this battle and bring an end to the pandemic,” said Bertino-Tarrant. “We now have more sites than ever before, and we are working diligently to make sure underserved communities and those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 have access to the vaccine.”