Will County Moves To Phase 1B+ Of Vaccination Plan

WILL COUNTY, IL — Will County is now in Phase 1B+ for its vaccine plan, the Will County Health Department said on its Facebook Sunday.

The health department said the expansion includes those 16 and older with disabilities and underlying health conditions who weren't covered in previous eligibility categories. Eligible conditions include those with cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, diabetes, heart conditions, immunosuppressed states from a solid organ transplant, smoking, obesity, pregnancy, pulmonary disease, and sickle cell disease.

The state moved to Phase 1B+ on Feb. 25, although many Chicago area counties did not expand eligibility at that time.

Health Department spokesperson Steve Brandy said the department expects to expand vaccine eligibility to all Will County residents above 16 on April 12.

Vaccines produced by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have only been approved for adults, while the Pfizer/BioNTech jab has approval for use on anyone 16 and up after younger people were included in its clinical trials.

As of Monday, 96,292 Will County residents are fully vaccinated, or 13.91 percent of the county's total population. Over 5.5 million doses have been given in the state of Illinois, and about 16.34 percent of the state's population is fully vaccinated.