Will County has reached the Severe Risk level for daily COVID infections and positive test rates, according to county health officials. The most recent figures show the rate of new cases at 192 per 100 thousand population (total population 690,000), with a positive test rate of 22%. The vaccination rate remains at just over 70% of all residents with 1 dose or more of COVID vaccine. Hospitalizations, cases and deaths have experienced a sudden spike over the past 30 days after a slight decrease.
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Posted inTimes Weekly News
Will County Health Department stressing caution as COVID numbers spike
COVID numbers are high throughout Illinois as the rolling test positivity rate on Wednesday reached 13.2 percent and total cases spiked to more than 2.1 million, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Reported COVID-related deaths in the state hit 27,734.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
New automated Vote-By-Mail system coming together for Clerk’s office
Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry earlier this week accepted the first major piece of equipment to automate the Vote By Mail program in Will County. The high-speed, state-of-the-art EvoluJet Printer from BlueCrest has the capability of printing 2,200 ballots per hour. Specialists from BlueCrest and the manufacturer, Kyocera, were on hand to assemble the EvoluJet’s components and make the necessary adjustments to begin printing test ballots on location at the Will County Clerk’s Office. The EvoluJet Printer will be joined by two other major pieces of equipment: The high-speed Relia-Vote MSE Inserter will automate the assembly of Vote By Mail packets, and the Relia-Vote Vantage Sorter will streamline the sorting of Vote By Mail packets for outbound mailing and for organizing return ballots. These three machines will improve efficiency and accuracy across the entire Vote By Mail program. They also will save Will County taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars each election compared to the cost of assembling and processing Vote By Mail Ballots manually. Staley Ferry announced back in August that the Will County Board had unanimously approved $1.9 million in funding to purchase equipment to automate her office’s growing Vote By Mail program.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Will County’s test positivity rate soars to 13.6 percent
COVID numbers in Will County spiked dramatically between December 18th and December 24, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
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CDC: Test positivity rate for Will County nears 10 percent
Due to the holiday, new reported COVID numbers from the Illinois Department of Health will not be available until this week. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the test positivity rate as of Dec. 26 for Will County was 9.8 percent.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
COVID cases continue to increase in Will County heading into the holidays
Will County is heading in the wrong direction with its COVID numbers as they continue to rise. The seven-day rolling test positivity rate went from 8.3 percent as of last Friday to 8.6 percent on Wednesday and COVID-Like Illinois Emergency Department (CLI-ED) visits at area hospitals rose to 10.4 percent.
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Fraternal Order of Police make sure quarantined youth still enjoy the holiday
TTW Staff When COVD threatened to put coal in a Joliet youngster’s stocking this year, Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 94 made sure the young man was still able to enjoy a happy holiday season. A young man named Dylan was scheduled to participate in the Lodge 94 Shop with a Sheriff event on December 4 but was heartbroken when a family member’s positive COVID test meant he would not be able to take part. Dylan’s mother knew how much the event meant to her son, so she reached out to Morningstar Mission, the event coordinator, to see what might be done.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Enjoy Thanksgiving safely Minimize the risk of a holiday spike
Families in surrounding suburbs will gather to enjoy the Thanksgiving feast and give thanks for all that they have – most of all each other. While the impact of the pandemic has been greatly reduced as more people and now children get vaccinated, there are still risks of spreading the virus. Health experts warn the holiday gatherings could be breeding grounds for spreading the virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the best way to minimize COVID-19 risk and keep family and friends safer is to get vaccinated. Many health experts this year also suggest if unvaccinated family and friends plan to attend holiday gatherings, they should get a rapid COVID test just before they show up. Here are some safe ways to celebrate the holidays from the CDC.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Plainfield mayor to investigate E. Coli contamination
Following a weekend where residents could not get their favorite iced coffees at local establishments or get tap water with their dinner at restaurants, things are back to normal in the Village of Plainfield as the EPA has declared it is safe to consume water. Last Friday, residents who receive their water from the Village of Plainfield received alerts from Will County that E. coli bacteria was found in the community’s water supply. Residents were all told to boil their water, causing mass shortage of bottled water in area stores. Anyone who drinks water contaminated with E. coli can have diarrhea, stomach cramping, pain or tenderness, nausea and vomiting.
