JOLIET, IL – The Will County Health Department (WCHD) is reminding everyone that although we are into warmer weather and the time of year everyone wants to have “spring and summer fun,” vigilance must be practiced as the battle continues against the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Although over 100,000 people in Will County are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the virus is very much alive and can still be transmitted.
WCHD contact tracers have recently come across information about a series of major wedding events. Investigations showed that these events took place between March 10th and 13th, indoors, with approximately 120 people in attendance, with limited regard for masking and social distancing. Thus far there have been over 20 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases among those who had attended these events. Investigations also showed that 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 WCHD Epidemiologist Alpesh Patel. “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.”
Patel recommends that anyone who has been in contact with anyone who attended the aforementioned wedding events should continue to self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days, and get tested for COVID-19 if they become symptomatic. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, shortness of breath, cough, sore throat, fever or chills, and loss of sense of taste or smell.
It is also important to note that while the daily number of new COVID-19 cases in Illinois was as low as 782 on March 15th, we have since seen new case numbers of 3,526 on April 1st, and 3,790 on April 7th.
“We understand how difficult it has been to put off large gatherings, but at this time we know that these gatherings can still turn into super spreader events with devastating outcomes,” Patel continued. “If we can all just hold on a little longer, we will be able to get to the other side of this pandemic.”
For more information on COVID-19, please go to the WCHD website at https://willcountyhealth.org/covid-19/.