IL lowers age eligibility for those next in COVID vaccine line to address inequality
Illinois officials announced Wednesday they are lowering the age eligibility for the people who can get the COVID-19 vaccine next — after health care workers and long-term care residents and staff.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that the next people in line include those who are 75 years old or older because of their risk of severe illness or death from the disease. Illinois is tweaking that recommendation to allow residents who are 65 years old or older to get vaccinated sooner.
State officials said they are making the change to address racial inequalities. In Illinois, residents who are Black or Hispanic die from COVID-19 “well before” they are 75.
The average age that Hispanic Illinoisans have died is 68, and Black Illinoisans died at 72 on average, compared to an average age of 81 for white Illinoisans, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during a press briefing Wednesday.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said the reasons for that racial disparity could include reduced access to health care; lack of quality health care; undiagnosed or untreated preexisting conditions; some distrust of medical providers; or a higher likelihood of being an essential worker or of having multiple generations living together.
Here’s who will be vaccinated next, according to Illinois’ Phase 1B of distribution:
- Residents who are 65 years old or older
- Essential workers, including but not limited to firefighters; law enforcement officers; 911 workers; security personnel; teachers; principals; daycare workers; food and agriculture workers; manufacturing workers; corrections workers and inmates; USPS workers; public transit workers including ride-sharing services; grocery store workers; and homeless shelter staff.
The first phase of distribution, Phase 1A, is ongoing and expected to take four to six weeks to complete.
The first health care workers were vaccinated Dec. 15 in Illinois. Vaccines started arriving at the state’s long-term care facilities the week of Dec. 28.
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 3:09 PM.
