Vaccine Numbers Hitting Milestones, But WCHD Urges Vigilance

JOLIET, IL —The Will County Health Department (WCHD) continues to hit COVID-19 vaccine milestones, but the agency is reminding residents to stay vigilant against the virus, especially now that warm weather can lead to a greater desire to socialize.

After reaching the 300,000 mark of first doses administered on Monday, the WCHD reported late Wednesday afternoon that it had administered 312,812 first doses of the vaccine. A total of 113,225 residents, or 16.5 percent of the county’s population, have now been fully vaccinated.

But in a release, the agency made it clear that the "virus is very much alive and can be transmitted." Though the WCHD acknowledged "everyone wants to have spring and summer fun," it also said health department contact tracers recently came across information about a wedding weekend in March that led to a COVID-19 outbreak of over 20 confirmed cases, thus far.

According to the WCHD, the events took place between March 10 and 13, and included a series of events that were indoors, with approximately 120 people and with limited regard for masking and distancing. The investigations show the events included a host site in Will County, a banquet facility in DuPage County and a place of worship in Cook County.

"As the weather gets nicer, it is important not to let our guard down," said Alpesh Patel, a WCHD epidemiologist. "Although we are seeing more people vaccinated, we are also seeing an increase in COVID-related hospitalizations, and have started to see the presence of variant strains in our communities."

The WCHD pointed out that the daily number of new COVID-19 cases in Illinois had dropped as low as 782 on March 15. However, the numbers have risen back up to 3,525 on April 1 and 3,790 on April 7.

"We understand how difficult it has been to put off large gatherings," Patel said. "But at this time, we know that these gatherings can still turn into superspreader events with devastating outcomes. If we can all just hold on a little longer, we will be able to get to the other side of this pandemic."