Will County 'in for a battle' as COVID cases spike among unvaccinated

WILL COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- Bolingbrook's Pelican Harbor Water Park was busy Friday before school starts next week.

A year ago, the park was mostly empty because of COVID, and with the number of COVID cases on the rise in Will County, many parents are hoping not to go back to those days.

"It kinda does worry me," said parent Gloria Aguilera, "I'm hoping everything doesn't get shut down."

RELATED: Lambda and delta plus: What to know about other COVID variants detected in US

The number of COVID cases between July 1 and August 1 jumped to a 134% increase, according to Will County health officials, and said 91% of those are not vaccinated.

"We're in for a battle over these next several months," said Steve Brandy with the Will County Health Department.

In Bolingbrook, officials said they are pushing the vaccine to whoever will take it, but added that they've seen a huge drop off in demand since the spring.

"We are doing everything we can, whether it's at-home vaccination or pop-ups at any of our events," said Bolingbrook Mayor Mary Alexander-Basta.

RELATED: What we know about the COVID vaccine timeline for children under 12

Village officials said they are about in line with the county, with a bit over half of the population fully vaccinated.

"We wanna get those shots in the arms, especially with that Delta variant. It's something we are very concerned with," said Lt. Edgar Hughes with the Bolingbrook Fire Department.

Will County officials said that while the vast majority of those with COVID-19 were not vaccinated, nearly 1-in-10 did get the vaccine, which increases the importance of wearing masks -- especially in indoor public settings.