Inequities in Early Vaccination Data

Posted on January 19, 2021

SPH's Jeni Hebert-Beirne, PhD, interim associate dean for community engagement, was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune on early COVID-19 vaccination data in Chicago, which shows the vast majority of vaccinations in the first part of the campaign have covered people living on the north side of Chicago and near the lake, generally considered to be areas with residents with incomes.  Hebert-Beirne noted the city's scale-up in vaccination efforts will bring into play efforts toward community-based vaccination.

Examining public health data by where people live in Chicago can be really informative as we know opportunity and resources for health are not evenly distributed across the city.  Given our city’s investment in community-based COVID-19 response I would expect the picture to change, but we must be intentional about our commitment to health equity.

Jeni Hebert-Beirne, PhD  |  Interim associate dean for community engagement