COVID-19 News Update
NOVEMBER 5, 2021
WILL COUNTY EQUITY
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
Will County Health Department’s partner community-based organizations (CBOs) and vaccine equity team have hosted/attended over 35 vaccination clinics and outreach events and reached Over 13,000 residents in the 60432, 60433, 60435, 60436, 60440, 60441, 60446, 60475, and 60484 zip codes in September alone.
Through vaccination clinics, door-to-door outreach, community events, and social media outreach, we are working to educate and vaccinate members of the community that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and connect residents to essential services throughout the County to meet their everyday needs.
5-11 Pediatric Pfizer Vaccination Update
The Illinois Department of Public Health has Adopted CDC recommendations for the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine for children ages 5-11
Will County Pediatric Pfizer (ages 5-11) Vaccine Providers
Pediatricians, Pharmacies, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Will County Health Department and other community partners will be providing Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine to children ages 5 to 11.
Pediatric Pfizer vaccinations will not be available until the week of November 8th, when Will County receives Pfizer Pediatric vaccine.
Tips to help calm vaccination fears for children
Make a Plan
Talk with your child before their appointment about what to expect.
Don't Lie
Avoid tricking or misleading your child about what to expect.
Stay Calm
If a parent is nervous or stressed it can affect the child so it is important to stay calm.
Bring a Toy
A toy can help comfort and distract a nervous child.
COVID-19 VACCINE:
BOOSTER DOSES
Moderna
Booster Dose
WHO IS ELIGIBLE:
- Individuals 65 of age and older
- Individuals 18+ who live in long-term care settings
- Individuals 18+ who have underlying medical conditions
- Individuals 18+ who live in high-risk settings
- Individuals 18+ who work in high-risk settings
- First responders
- Education staff
- Food and agriculture workers
- Manufacturing workers
- Corrections workers
- U.S. Postal Service workers
- Public transit workers
- Grocery store workers
DOSAGE:
½ dose
WHEN ARE YOU ELIGIBLE:
At least six-months after the initial two-dose series was administered
WANT TO SWITCH BRANDS?
Yes, you can receive a single booster dose of Moderna as long as you completed a one or two-dose series with a different COVID-19 vaccine.
Pfizer
Booster Dose
WHO IS ELIGIBLE:
- Individuals 65 of age and older
- Individuals 18+ who live in long-term care settings
- Individuals 18+ who have underlying medical conditions
- Individuals 18+ who live in high-risk settings
- Individuals 18+ who work in high-risk settings
- First responders
- Education staff
- Food and agriculture workers
- Manufacturing workers
- Corrections workers
- U.S. Postal Service workers
- Public transit workers
- Grocery store workers
DOSAGE:
Full Dose
WHEN ARE YOU ELIGIBLE:
At least six-months after the initial two-dose series was administered
WANT TO SWITCH BRANDS?
Yes, you can receive a single booster dose of Pfizer as long as you completed a one or two-dose series with a different COVID-19 vaccine.
Johnson & Johnson
Booster Dose
Individuals 18 years and older
DOSAGE:
Full Dose
WHEN ARE YOU ELIGIBLE:
At least two-months after a single dose primary vaccination was administered
WANT TO SWITCH BRANDS?
Yes, you can receive a single booster dose of Johnson & Johnson as long as you completed a two-dose series with a different COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID-19 VACCINE:
THIRD DOSE
FOR IMMUNOCOMPROMISED
Third COVID-19 Vaccine Doses for People who are Moderately or Severely Immunocompromised.
A Third dose is NOT a booster dose!
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for both the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to allow a third dose to be administered to people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised following a primary mRNA vaccine series.
Subsequently, CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems receive a third dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 weeks after their second dose, for a total of three doses. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky endorsed those recommendations. See the full CDC Media Statement here.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR A THIRD DOSE OF COVID-19 VACCINE?
Currently, CDC is recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive an additional dose. This includes people who have:
- Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
- Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
- Advanced or untreated HIV infection
- Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response
If your condition or medication isn’t on this list and you think you have a weakened immune system, talk to your healthcare provider about your medical condition and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate.
Individuals can self-attest and receive the third dose wherever vaccines are offered. This will help ensure there are not additional barriers to access for this vulnerable population receiving a needed third dose.
WHEN ARE YOU ELIGIBLE
The third dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine should be the same vaccine as the initial series and administered at least four weeks after completing a primary mRNA COVID-19 vaccine series.
ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR IMMUNOCOMPROMISED INDIVIDUALS
While vaccination is likely to increase protection in this population, even after vaccination, people who are immunocompromised should continue follow current prevention measures (including wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others they do not live with, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces) to protect themselves and those around them against COVID-19 until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider.
Contact Tracing
Contact Tracing is being used by all 97 local health departments and IDPH Surge Center to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Contact tracing involves:
- Reaching out to people with COVID-19 to identify everyone they had close contact with during the time they may have been infectious
- Notifying contacts of their potential exposure
- Referring those contacts for testing
- Monitoring contacts for signs and symptoms of COVID-19
- Connecting contacts with services they might need to remain at home during the self-quarantine period
- If you receive a call from a contact tracer, the phone number should read 1-312-777-1999 COVID CONTACT.
- Please answer their calls or return their calls in a timely manner so we can all help to slow the spread of COVID-19.
- The Contact Tracing Phone number (1-312-777-1999) is the same across the State of Illinois. The system is programmed to match the phone number of an incoming call to a specific case record so the caller can be routed to the assigned Case Owner in the virtual calling system.
- If the inbound call is unable to be routed to an available Contact Tracer, the caller has the option to leave a voicemail.
- For more information on Contact Tracing, visit this link https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/data/contact-tracing.html
- For more information on Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines, visit this link https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/community-guidance/isolation-quarantine.html
- For more information on FAQs for schools, visit this link https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/community-guidance/school-guidance/school-guidance-faqs.html
*Please Note: Will County Health Department Contact Tracers do not need your social security, or payment information to perform contact tracing, our staff will NEVER ask for payment, and/or credit card information of any kind.
Click a link below to schedule your first dose vaccine online.
Second dose appointments will be made at time of the first dose appointment. If you need to schedule a second dose appointment, you must call 815-774-7386.
PFIZER HAS FULL FDA APPROVAL FOR THOSE AGES 16+
The Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for people 16 and up, making it the first to move beyond emergency use status in the United States.
Schedule an Appointment Online or Call to Schedule your Vaccination at a Will County Health Department Vaccination Clinic.
815-774-7386
COVID-19 Delta Variant Cases Continue to Rise.
Why Wait?
Schedule your vaccine today to Stop the Spread of the Delta Variant!
Steps Already Taken to Combat Delta in Illinois:
Vaccinations required for all state employees at congregate facilities, in addition to mandates by private employers
Masks required in all public indoor spaces
County Level COVID-19 Risk Metrics
Hospital Resource and COVID Patient Data
Vaccinations By Zip Code
County Level COVID-19 Community Transmission Data
Cases: 7 Day Total
947
Cases: Total Per 100K
137.10
Positivity Rate
3.17%
Pop-Up Vaccine Clinics
Faith Movers Church
425 W Exchange Street, Crete
November 6th from 10am to 1pm
Wilmington Lions Club
805 River Street, Wilmington
November 6th from 10am to 2pm
St. Francis of Assisi Parish
1501 W. Boughton Rd, Bolingbrook
November 7th from 9am to 1:30pm
Joliet Public Library
3395 Black Road, Joliet
November 9th from 9:30am to 1:30pm
Arrowhead Community Center
24856 W. Eames St., Channahon
November 9th from 10am to 2pm
C.W. Avery Family YMCA
15120 Wallin Dr., Plainfield
November 10th from 12pm to 4pm
Crete Public Library
1177 Main St., Crete
November 10th from 12pm to 4pm
University Park Library
1100 Blackhawk Dr., University Park
November 12th from 11am to 4pm
Fossil Ridge Public Library
386 West Kennedy Road, Braidwood
November 13th from 8AM to 4PM
Joliet Community Care Fair
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
402 Singleton Place, Joliet
November 13 from 11am to 3pm
Join Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and Christ Pantry Joliet for the first “Joliet Community Care Fair” Saturday, November 13, 2021, 11a.m.-3p.m., at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 402 Singleton Place, in Joliet.
This community health and enrollment event will feature fresh produce and poultry for the first 500 families (while supplies last) maternal health and community resources, NO COST flu shots and COVID-19 vaccines. Meet recruiters for our exciting job opportunities and Blue Bear our Health & Wellness Ambassador.
Blue Cross Community Health Plan and HealthChoice Illinois (Medicaid) resources will also be available.
Pop-Up COVID-19 Vaccination Event Request
Do you want to host a Pop-Up COVID-19 Vaccination Event?
VACCINES FOR HOMEBOUND
Do you know someone who is interested in receiving a COVID vaccine who is unable to get out of the house due to medical limitations?
Consider applying for our homebound vaccination program through the Will County Health Department! Click the link to apply, and we will follow up with you as soon as we can! We want to get everyone vaccinated, especially those who are most at-risk and homebound.
REQUEST A NEW COVID-19 VACCINE RECORD CARD OR ALTERNATIVE FORM OF THE VACCINE RECORD FROM WILL COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
Use this two-sided English/Spanish form to: request a new COVID-19 vaccine record card; to have your COVID-19 vaccine record corrected; or to request an alternative form of the COVID-19 vaccine record. Requests will be filled within 72 business hours. Please plan additional time if your record is mailed via US Postal Service.
GET ACCESS TO YOUR VACCINATION RECORDS ELECTRONICALLY, THROUGH THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH’S VAX VERIFY SYSTEM
ATTENTION WILL COUNTY PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF
5-11-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN
Will County Health Department is planning for the expansion of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign efforts to include the 5-11-year-old age group. We are looking for feedback from Will County parents/guardians regarding their plans for vaccinating their 5-11-year-old children. Please complete this short survey:
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
IDPH SCHOOL GUIDANCE
An updated version of the Public Health School Guidance, FAQ and Exclusion Protocols (with new flowcharts) are now posted on ISBE’s website, with updates underway to IDPH’s website. These align with EO 2021-24 and amendments to the Communicable Disease Code.
the importance of the annual flu shot
Influenza (flu) severity varies from year to year, but flu always brings serious consequences. The prevention of influenza and its associated consequences is important every year. Although the effectiveness of the flu vaccine can vary, overall the vaccine markedly lowers the risk of influenza-related illness, hospitalization, and death.
The COVID-19 pandemic means preventing influenza during 2020–21 is more important than ever. Influenza and COVID-19 share many symptoms. Preventing influenza means fewer people will need to seek medical care and testing for possible COVID-19 or influenza. And increasing flu vaccination uptake saves healthcare resources for COVID-19 and other conditions.
Our Progress
Over 57% of the population in Will County Are Fully Vaccinated!
Total number of vaccines administered
859,534
11/05/21
Total complete doses
401,138
11/05/21
57.94%
of population fully vaccinated
Demographic Breakdown
RACE/ETHNICITY
%
WHITE
523,120
%
HISPANIC
120,838
%
BLACK
81,871
%
ASIAN
62,256
Age
Ages 12-17
- 76,653 8.92%
Ages 18-64
- 593,371 69.00%
Ages 65+
- 189,422 22.00%
Gender
Female
- 459,793 53.5%
Male
- 397,569 46.3%
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR DAILY VACCINE CLINIC UPDATES
An easy way to stay updated on vaccine clinic hours and availability of appointments is to follow the Will County Health Department on Facebook. We post each morning the locations that are open that day for appointments and walk-ins.
Click here to visit our page and then follow/like us!
COVID-19 Questions? We are here to Help!
Call our COVID-19 Call Center at:
815.774.7386
The Will County Health Department provides a COVID-19 Call Center to help you:
- Schedule your COVID Vaccination Appointment
- Answer any COVID-19 Related Questions
- Provide you with the Direction You Need
Our #1 Priority is assist you in any way possible and provide exceptional Customer Service! Please call one of our Customer Service Representatives who are ready and happy to assist you!
Call Center Hours of Operations:
Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM