The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), alongside elected officials and community partners, announced new initiatives to address racial equity in the COVID-19 response and vaccine distribution, with early data estimates demonstrating low vaccination rates among Black and Latinx Chicagoans. As Chicago moves into Phase 1b of the vaccination effort, City leaders outlined further efforts to bolster the equity plan to ensure that vaccine reaches the individuals and communities most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The City launched a new Protect Chicago Plus program that includes the following strategies: 

• Targets 15 high-need communities based on the City’s COVID vulnerability index, to ensure that a significant part of the City’s vaccine supply goes to these communities. 

• It works with community stakeholders to identify settings and groups where vaccine access will most quickly decrease COVID transmission risk and removes barriers to vaccinating these individuals as quickly as possible. 

The neighborhoods initially targeted in Protect Chicago Plus are West Englewood, New City, Gage Park, North Lawndale, South Lawndale, Chicago Lawn, Englewood, Roseland, Archer Heights, Washington Heights, Austin, Montclare, South Deering, Belmont Cragin and Humboldt Park.  Additional information can be found at Chicago.gov/covidvax.