Safety & Care in the COVID Era

Safety & Care in the COVID Era

Whether or not you have been vaccinated against COVID, you may have questions.

We at Stand Illinois are decidedly pro-vaccine. We also recognize the range of views on this topic, including the confusion and fear based on generations of systemic racism and injustice. If we are to build a brighter future for us all, we must look for the places where we can find common ground together.

COVID-19 and its variants have reached most deeply into communities of color and under-resourced areas. In Chicago, these neighborhoods also have lower COVID-19 vaccination rates, including among children, and higher recent COVID-19 hospitalization rates.

The fact remains that vaccination rates across the city vary widely by school and neighborhood. A data analysis by Chalkbeat revealed that majority Black high schools had an average vaccination rate of 28%, compared to majority Latino high schools’ average of 57%. Opt-in rates for school-based testing also vary widely, with some South and West Side schools having fewer than five students opted in. This gaping disparity shows the need for resources and ease-of-access to COVID vaccines and tests.

Tommorrow Snyder, Stand’s Community & Family Partnerships Director, shared her personal COVID story in a blog and related videos. She discusses her own experiences living with long-COVID and getting the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as the work she leads in spreading the word about resources and information related to vaccine and testing access.

Partners in Health and the Chicagoland Vaccine Partnership have compiled a number of resources for Chicagoans to help protect themselves and their families. You can find some of these resources here:

Our thanks to Partners in Health for these resources and for convening the Chicagoland Vaccine Partnership.