McHENRY COUNTY — In commemoration of American Heart Month, the McHenry County Department of Health is encouraging everyone to think about their heart and prevent heart disease.

Heart disease refers to a variety of conditions that affect the heart’s structure and function.It is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Though usually preventable, heart disease is sometimes silent and unforeseen until a person experiences signs of a heart attack, heart failure or an irregular heart rhythm.

McHENRY COUNTY — The McHenry County Department of Health is encouraging residents to recycle their live Christmas trees and old nonfunctioning holiday lights once they are ready to bring their holiday celebration to an end.

Holiday lights are not accepted in curbside recycling bins. The best way to dispose of holiday light strands, rope lights, LED lights and extension cords is to recycle them properly. Year-round holiday lights recycling is offered by Elgin Recycling in Crystal Lake, and at all MCDH electronic recycling events in 2023.

QUESTION:
Would you get the single dose Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine over the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, if given the choice?

(Want to share your thoughts? Leave them in the comments below.)

Ana Maria Christopherson, Lake in the Hills: “J&J. I heard side effects aren’t as bad as the others, protects against the Brazilian and African strain. One shot and per [the] CDC, is effective after 14 days!”

Angelica Foreign, Algonquin: “I don’t recommend J&J. They have only a 66% effective rate versus Moderna and Pfizer which are 98% effective.