Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Chicago on Tuesday to talk about equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the White House. It’s her first official visit to the city since she and President Joe Biden were inaugurated.
In rolling out the vaccine, national and local Democratic leaders, including Biden and Harris, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and many others have focused with varying success on putting communities hardest hit by the pandemic at the front of the line to receive a vaccine, including older adults and Black and Latino residents.
The federal government put up mass vaccination sites, such as the one at the United Center on Chicago’s West Side, to help drive that effort.
Since the election, Harris has worked to encourage people to get the vaccine and close the anticipated equity gap. When she got her first dose of the Moderna vaccine back in December, she did it before the news cameras, emphasizing that she trusted science and others should, too. It came as polling showed some vaccination hesitancy in the Black community.
That mistrust is born of historic racism in medical treatment and studies.
Last week, the White House announced $270 million of the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill Biden signed into law earlier this month would go to 45 Illinois health centers, including 19 in Chicago. Health centers serve 1 in 5 rural residents and 1 in 11 people nationwide. More than 91% of patients live at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, and nearly 63% are racial or ethnic minorities, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services statistics.
After the election, Harris began working to close the equity gap. Since taking office, Harris has been working to close the vaccination gap, announcing grants to local health centers that serve communities where vaccine rates are low.
The White House didn’t release details about her trip to Chicago or whether she’ll meet with fellow Democrats Lightfoot or Pritzker.
