Coronavirus Deaths In Will County Exceed 700

WILL COUNTY, IL — The coronavirus death toll in Will County has now exceeded 700, according to recent data. The Will County Health Department on Wednesday reported 52,274 COVID-19 cases for Will County, an increase of 302 from Tuesday, while reported deaths from the virus increased by five during the same time period to 719.

More than 70 percent of those who have died of COVID-19 in the county were in their 70s or older, according to WCHD. The Illinois Department of Public Health reports 43 out of 162 available ICU beds available at hospitals in Region 7, which includes Will and Kankakee counties, and 82 out 139 available ventilators.

Joliet continues to have the highest number of cases in Will County each week, and for the week of Dec. 7 (the most recent numbers available) the city had 722 cases, according to the WCHD website. Plainfield had the second highest number at 498 cases, while Bolingbrook ranked third highest with 430 cases.

However, Will County’s positivity rate was at 11 percent as of Friday. This came after the county’s positivity rate hit a high of about 20 percent last month.

Steve Brandy, a Will County Health Department spokesman, said the county received its first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine this week. The county was expecting about 8,300 doses.