Only 14% Of Chicagoans Have Updated COVID Vaccines And Black And Latino Neighbors Lag – Block Club Chicago

CHICAGO Public health leaders are urging Chicagoans to stay current with their COVID-19 vaccine, especially Black and Latino neighbors.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends anyone 6 months or older receive the updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 booster, which was made available in September and more closely targets the Omicron variant, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The updated vaccine is also intended to restore protection against severe COVID-19 cases, according to the states health department.

But according to data from the Chicago Department of Public Health, less than 14 percent of the city is up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines, and Black and Latino Chicagoans are less likely to have received the updated shot compared to their white neighbors.

About 20 percent of white Chicagoans are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines, compared to 8 percent and 8.3 percent of Latino and Black neighbors, respectively.

The West, Southwest and South sides which are Black- and Latino-majority neighborhoods have the lowest updated vaccine rates, data shows.

On the Southwest Side, about 7 percent of all neighbors have received the updated vaccine, while 9 percent of people on the Near South and Far South sides have gotten theirs.

This trend follows what was seen when the first COVID-19 vaccines rolled out in 2021.

Fewer Black and Latino Chicagoans were getting the initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccines compared to white neighbors, Block Club reported at the time. These were the demographics of people most affected by COVID-19 deaths and cases.

Structural barriers like lack of access to health care and low trust in health providers and public officials played a part back then and are still affecting peoples willingness to get vaccinated, said Dr. Geraldine Luna, medical director with the city health department.

If youre not provided with the information in the right language or cultural concordance, you cant make much out of that information, it doesnt make sense to you, she said. For decision making, this is so important.

Luna said the city has recently doubled down on partnering with community-based organizations to tell neighbors to get vaccinated through means they trust and can understand because we arent out of the woods.

The city saw an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the fall, with a peak in December, but both have been decreasing since, Luna said.

Its been downtrending with less cases reported. We dont see the hotspots that we were seeing by community. So, those are very, very good news, she said. But remember that for anyone 65 years old and over, or anyone with immune-compromised conditions, COVID-19 is still very real. There is no good reason not to get your free vaccine today.

Anyone can get a free COVID-19 vaccine through the city, regardless of immigration or insurance status, Luna said. People can call the citys hotline at 312-746-4835 to get their questions answered about the vaccine and how to get it.

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Only 14% Of Chicagoans Have Updated COVID Vaccines And Black And Latino Neighbors Lag - Block Club Chicago