Smaller Illinois counties such as Hancock and McDonough Counties in Western Illinois are struggling with vaccine hesitancy. Emily Hendrickson is the Director of the Memorial Hospital Clinic in Carthage, located in Hancock County where the percentage of vaccinated residents is barely over 30-percent.

Hancock and McDonough rank near the bottom but Southern Illinois has the largest vaccine hesitancy in the state with Alexander County having only 16-percent of the eligible population fully vaccinated.