Will Co. Reports Grim Milestone With COVID-19 Death Toll At 900

WILL COUNTY, IL — The total coronavirus death toll in Will County has reached 900 as of Friday, according to the county health officials. The Will County Health Department also reported 65,000 confirmed or probable cases.

However, test positivity in the county has continued to decrease and is at 4 percent as of Thursday, according to Illinois Department of Public Health. This is the lowest it has been since July.

Region 7 — Will and Kankakee counties — is also seeing massive improvements in its coronavirus metrics and as of Thursday, the region has a positivity of 3.8 percent. Hospital intensive care unit bed capacity remains at adequate levels as well in the region with 25 percent of beds available as of Thursday, according to the IDPH.

In total, more than 32,000 people have been fully vaccinated which accounts for just under 4.72 percent of Will County’s overall population.

In a statement earlier this month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker had announced that in light of a steadily increasing federal vaccine supply, Illinois is making plans to expand Phase 1B eligibility on Feb. 25 to people who have comorbidities and underlying conditions as defined by the CDC. In addition, the state will also prioritize individuals with disabilities.

However, WCHD Spokesperson Steve Brandy said the department must "hold to the original 1B, serving mostly those 65 and older, due to vaccine supplies."

Ever since the first vaccine delivery in December, arrivals of both Pfizer and Moderna vaccine have been very sporadic, with little information about how much is coming and when. The health department said that it has been receiving a scant more than 2,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine incrementally which is making vaccinating its nearly 700,000 residents a great challenge.