BY ALEX ORTIZ |
The number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 in Will and Kankakee counties has fallen to its lowest level since November, before the omicron variant caused cases and hospitalizations to soar to all-time highs.
About 64.5% of Will County’s nearly 700,000 residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 71% have received at least one shot.
As of Tuesday, there was a rolling average of 84 COVID-19 patients in the South Suburban Region’s hospitals, according to the latest Illinois Department of Public Health data.
The data point marks a significant improvement from the situation over the past several weeks. In mid-January, there was an average of almost 400 COVID-19 hospital patients in the region, more than at any other point during the last two years of the pandemic.
Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox reported Wednesday that it had 21 COVID-19 patients, three of whom where in the intensive care unit. In January, there were almost 140 patients at Silver Cross with COVID-19.
New COVID-19 cases in Will County also have fallen significantly over the past several weeks.
As of Sunday, the county’s rolling average test positivity rate stood at almost 5%, though the data might not include many results from at-home tests. A month before, the county had an 18.5% test positivity rate.
The Will County Health Department recently announced it would start offering free drive-through COVID-19 testing at its Joliet office at 501 Ella Ave this month through mid-March.
About 64.5% of Will County’s nearly 700,000 residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 71% have received at least one shot.
For information about COVID-19 and where to find the nearest vaccine clinic, visit willcountyhealth.org or call 815-774-7386.