COVID-19 vaccine policy implementation and differential vaccine uptake trajectories in Chicago communities
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2024
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Source: J Public Health Manag Pract. 30(1):E21-E30
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Alternative Title:J Public Health Manag Pract
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Personal Author:
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Description:Background:
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple public health interventions have been implemented to respond to the rapidly evolving pandemic and community needs. This paper describes the scope, timing, and impact of coordinated strategies for COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Chicago for the first year of vaccine distribution.
Methods:
Using a series of interviews with public health officials and leaders of community-based organizations (CBOs) who participated in the implementation of the city-wide COVID-19 vaccine outreach initiatives, we constructed a timeline of vaccine outreach initiatives. The timeline was matched to the vaccine uptake rates to explore the impact of the vaccine outreach initiatives by community area. Finally, we discussed the nature of policy initiatives and the level of vaccine uptake in relation to community characteristics.
Results:
The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) implemented myriad vaccine outreach strategies, including mass vaccination sites, improved access, and community-level vaccine campaigns. Protect Chicago+ was the primary vaccine outreach effort initiated by CDPH, which identified 15 highly vulnerable community areas. More than 2.7 million (67%) Chicagoans completed the vaccine regimen by December 2021. Black (51.3%) Chicagoans were considerably less likely to be vaccinated compared with Asian (77.6%), White (69.8%), and Hispanic (63.6%) Chicago residents. Additionally, there were significant spatial differences in the rate of COVID-19 vaccine completion: predominantly White and Hispanic communities, compared to Black communities, had higher rates of vaccine completion.
Conclusions:
The community outreach efforts to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Chicago have shown the importance of community-engaged approaches in pandemic responses. Despite city-wide efforts to build community infrastructure, Black communities had relatively lower levels of vaccine uptake compared to other communities. Broader social restructuring to mitigate disinvestment and residential segregation and to ameliorate medical mistrust will be needed to prepare for future pandemics and disasters.
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Pubmed ID:37966958
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Pubmed Central ID:PMC10723817
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Volume:30
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Issue:1
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Supporting Files:No Additional Files