Chicago's vaccination rates so far this winter against seasonal respiratory infections like COVID-19 and influenza are down slightly from last year, which public health officials say may be a result of misinformation and “vaccine fatigue” since the pandemic.
Only about 10.7% of Chicagoans had received the updated 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine as of Dec. 14, while 22.5% had gotten a flu shot, according to Chicago Department of Public Health data.
Compared to the end of the second full week of December 2023, flu and COVID-19 vaccination rates are down more than a full percentage point, according to city data. Nearly 36,500 fewer Chicagoans have received a flu shot so far this year, while about 46,000 fewer have received a COVID-19 vaccine.
Public health experts say these low vaccination rates can be attributed in part to public weariness surrounding vaccines following the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as increased misinformation about the effectiveness and risks of vaccines.
“In the beginning, when (COVID-19) was like an unknown thing and everyone was afraid and it wasn't familiar, we had much higher rates,” said Dr. Shivanjali Shankaran, an infectious disease specialist from Rush University Medical Center. “Then I think a combination of fatigue, but also a lot of the lies that have been spread about vaccines has kind of hampered our vaccination rates, and I think that has carried over to flu vaccination.”
Although the current level of respiratory illness in Illinois is low, infections and hospitalizations for both COVID-19 and influenza tend to “really spike” in January after the holidays, according to Dr. Alexander Sloboda, medical director of immunizations for the Chicago Division. For public health.
Public health officials are encouraging Chicagoans to immediately get out and get their flu and COVID-19 vaccines if they haven't already, as CDPH is running a number of free vaccination clinics and pop-up events throughout the city.
“This is the perfect time, if you haven't already, to get the coronavirus and flu vaccine right before the holiday season, right before January, because it takes two weeks for the vaccine to work and build that immunity protection,” Sloboda said. Really getting these updated vaccines that cover the current flu and COVID strains that are circulating. So we just want everyone to stay protected through the winter and holiday season.
A COVID-19 vaccine approved for the 2024-25 season should provide protection against currently circulating virus strains such as the XEC variant.
Sloboda said that previous vaccines – or previous Covid-19 infections – do not guarantee protection against the strains of the disease currently circulating, stressing that the virus is “constantly changing.”
Chicago's “relatively low” vaccination rates this season reflect “the general trend seen across the country” since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Shankaran.
Vaccination rates this year across Cook County, which were slightly higher than in Chicago alone as of last week, are “dismal and disappointing,” said Lamar Hasbrouck, chief operating officer of the Cook County Department of Public Health. His department now runs free vaccine clinics.
Caution with regard to COVID may have faded a little with respect to influenza. It's like: Do we need all this footage? And I feel like I can overcome it. I'm not really worried about getting sick necessarily. “I don’t even know if this vaccine is effective…it’s all anecdotal information, misinformation, disinformation,” Hasbrouck said.
Hasbrouck added that public health officials must “combat myths with facts.” Messages should focus on the safety and proven effectiveness of the vaccine, as well as that it does not directly prevent infection with Covid-19 but rather reduces the risk of “severe illness or death.”
Chicago's flu vaccination rates have been declining each year since 2022, when about 25% of residents had gotten a flu shot by the end of the first full week of December, according to the city's dashboard.
However, Hasbrouck noted that seniors across Cook County have continued to get vaccinated at much higher rates than the general population.
In Chicago, nearly half of residents over 75 have received a flu vaccine and about 27% have received a COVID-19 vaccine. Meanwhile, among Chicagoans under 30, the coronavirus vaccination rate so far this season is about 5.5%. Young people have the lowest flu vaccination rate of any age group, with only 12.7% of 18-29 year olds getting the vaccine.
“What we're seeing is the message getting out there that the more at risk you are, which increases with age and other chronic conditions, the more people tend to care, the more people tend to want to get their vaccines,” Hasbrouck said. “Updated.”
City data also reveals disparities by zip code.
Vaccination rates on the city's South and West sides are below the citywide average, while the highest vaccination rates are in the lakefront neighborhoods on the North Side.
In the 60621 ZIP code, which includes the Auburn Gresham, Englewood, Greater Grand Crossing and Washington Park neighborhoods, flu and COVID-19 vaccination rates are 12.9% and 4.9%, respectively.
Meanwhile, in the 60640 ZIP code that includes the Lakeview, North Center, Lincoln Square, Edgewater and Uptown neighborhoods, flu and COVID-19 vaccination rates are 33.3% and 22.3%, respectively.
These disparities can be attributed in part to the uneven distribution of pharmacies across Chicago neighborhoods, which creates barriers to vaccine access, Shankaran said.
“If you look at a map of pharmacies across the city, they're not evenly distributed, and especially as you head south, you may have to travel several miles before you can find a pharmacy,” Shankaran said. “Taking it out into the community can be very helpful…because now you don't have to take an hour out of your day to go and get the vaccine.”
Before this winter, the Chicago Department of Public Health conducted an analysis to determine which Black and Latino neighborhoods in Chicago were hardest hit by COVID-19 and the flu, Sloboda said. The five community areas identified in the analysis are West Garfield Park, West Englewood, Hermosa, Burnside and McKinley Park, according to Sloboda.
Throughout the fall, the Department of Public Health focused “additional efforts” on those communities, including vaccine events, educational outreach and partnerships with local health care providers, Sloboda said.
He added that phasing out federal funding for the COVID-19 vaccine has created additional challenges for the Department of Health. He said the vaccine is now “kind of expensive,” which discourages many clinics around the city from offering it, prompting CDPH to try to “fill in the gaps.”
Chicagoans, even if they are uninsured or underinsured, can still get vaccinated for free at one of CDPH's immunization clinics or pop-up events.
“There is still a lot of misinformation and misleading information, especially about the Covid vaccine,” Sloboda said. “So just trying to overcome the misinformation and misinformation out there with the right information is what we're trying to do. It's obviously kind of an uphill battle.”
Originally published: December 19, 2024 at 5:00 AM CST
