It became clear early in the pandemic that Chicago’s Black and brown populations were disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus.
Dr. Cameron Webb also saw that playing out through his work in internal medicine in Virginia, and that informed his role as a senior policy advisor on the White House COVID-19 Response Team.
He said a committed focus on equity, at the direction of President Joe Biden, is paying off.
“If you look nationally the rate of cases, the rate of hospitalizations and deaths, much improved in communities of color even relative to white Americans. So we’ve seen really strong improvement and we owe a lot of that to the vaccination effort,” Webb told WTTW News. “The rates of vaccination among adults are pretty much equivalent between Black, white and Latino adults. And so that’s really good news. It tells us that equity – contrary to what some people believed – it’s not an aspiration. It’s something you can achieve if you center it.”
See: Demographic Trends of People Receiving COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States
That centering requires recognizing historical and contemporary dynamics of communities and keeping that top of mind in targeted outreach efforts.
Saturday marks one year since the FDA first gave emergency use authorization to the first, Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, for adult use.
Black and brown individuals are falling behind in Illinois when it comes to getting the booster shot that doctors believe will help to protect against Omicron.
See: Illinois Department of Public Health COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Data
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Black people make up nearly 11% of those fully vaccinated in Illinois and Latinos nearly 15%.
In comparison, Black individuals make up less than 9% of those who have received a booster shot, and Latinos comprise just over 8%.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Black people make up nearly 11% of those fully vaccinated in Illinois and Latinos nearly 15%. In comparison, Black individuals make up less than 9% of those who have received a booster shot, and Latinos comprise just over 8%. (WTTW News)
Dr. Webb suggested: Give it time. The widespread booster effort is relatively new.
“The CDC’s recommendations about a week and a half ago saying that all adults should get boosters, I think that’s when you really start the conversation around: how can we make sure that all adults are getting those boosters,” he said. “We’re working overtime to make sure that happens, working with community-based and faith-based organizations, working with partners on the ground and communities all over the country. The key is making sure that people know why that scientific recommendation was made and know where they can then go to get their boosters.
Thursday, the Centers for Disease control came out with a recommendation that 16- and 17-year-olds also receive the booster.
The White House’s next steps for battling COVID call for rapid response teams where there are rising cases — supplying treatment pills when that’s approved — and more rapid at-home testing.
“Your ability to know if your runny nose or stuffy nose in the middle of wintertime is the typical cold that you tend to have every December, or is COVID, that makes a huge difference for your workplace, for your kids’ school, for your community as a whole,” Webb said.
Rapid at-home-tests (if they’re not sold out) can cost about $20 each – a price that for many is unaffordable, especially at a frequent clip, leaving free testing sites that may be inconvenient or have longer turnaround times as an alternative.
The Biden plan calls for distributing millions of at-home tests through community sites and making it such that those with insurance will be able to get reimbursed for at-home test kits.
Critics doubt that’s enough to be effective, noting that getting reimbursed is a cumbersome and complicated process, and the demand for free community tests may quickly outstrip supply.
“There’s no one single way that’s going to work for everybody,” Webb said. “We know that for a lot of Americans – particularly for folks that’ve been the hardest hit – for them it’s the ability to get those free tests from their library, or get those free tests through a food bank, or from a federally qualified health center. So through a different mechanism. When you put these together you have different strategies to reach different people.”
Webb’s in the D.C. area now, but he spent several years in Chicago when he went to law school at Loyola. (Yes, he’s a doctor as well as a lawyer).
“In Chicago there are a lot of amazing leaders, there are a lot of amazing medical centers, and we know they’re serving different parts of the community all the time. The key is really taking advantage of those resources that you have, connecting it with community,” Webb said.
During his time in the city, Webb said he took notice of community-based barbershop initiatives and the work of Dr. Thomas Fisher at the University of Chicago.
“That on-the-ground kind of effort is going to be a key to the ongoing efforts to address some of the disparities, some of the inequities that we’re seeing with regard to COVID,” Webb said.
Saturday marks two weeks before Christmas. If you’re getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or a booster, that makes between now and Dec. 11 a good time to do so before holiday festivities, said Chicago public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady.
Arwady said if you are vaccinated but still contract COVID, there’s no need to wait to get boosted. You have to isolate; but once that minimum 10-day period is done, you’re clear to get the recommended booster shot.
Saturday marks two weeks before Christmas. If you're getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or a booster, that makes between now and Dec. 11 a good time to do so before holiday festivities, said Chicago public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady.
Arwady said if you are vaccinated but still contract COVID, there's no need to wait to get boosted. You have to isolate; but once that minimum ten day period is, done you’re clear to get the recommended booster shot.
Follow Amanda Vinicky on Twitter: @AmandaVinicky
