August 26th, 2021
Illinois Unidos lays out recommendations in their “Call to Action” emphasizing back to the basics: Test, Trace, Isolate, Vaccinate
Chicago, IL – Illinois Unidos, is a coalition of over 100 Illinois elected and appointed officials, stakeholders, health professionals, academicians, and representatives of community-based organizations. We are now witnessing a troubling COVID surge driven by the new Delta variant. This requires bold leadership and immediate action from City, County, and State governments and Public Health Agencies.
Public policies must be fair and equitable to all, including decisions on resource allocation. In the case of COVID-19, case rate per 100,000, age-adjusted death rates, and job losses due to the pandemic have most severely impacted the Latino community.
“What is apportioned to the Latino community must be reflective of the true damage COVID has caused and continues to cause as we witness another surge of COVID19 in Illinois driven by the Delta variant,” said Dr. Marina Del Rios, Emergency Physician and Chair of Illinois Unidos Health & Policy Committee.
“Illinois Unidos originally formed in a reactive moment of crisis. Our role as trusted messengers and a consistent watchdog addressing health disparities in the Latino community is where many of us see the future for this dedicated group,” said Xavier Nogueras, President – BOCA Media Group, and Co-Founder.
On August 24, 2021, Illinois Unidos shared and made public a List of Prevention Steps and Recommendations (see attachment or visit https://illinoisunidos.com/priorities-prioridades/). We applaud Governor JB Pritzker for the reinstatement of Statewide Indoor Mask Mandates and for requiring vaccination (or weekly testing) for employees at high risk of exposure. Given the disproportionate burden of COVID in Latino children and adults in the working-age population (ages < 60), and the relatively low vaccination rates in Latinos, we call for immediate action to increase first and second vaccine doses in our essential workforce and in children who are eligible. We also call for rigorous testing, contact tracing, and isolation guidelines as an added protective measure against COVID19 spread. Though the recommendations set forth are broad and can be applied widely throughout the State of Illinois, City of Chicago, and Cook County, they are particularly critical to implement for the health and viability of the Latino community.
Illinois Unidos and its members are raising community awareness about the challenges of COVID-19 in the Latino community; however, we also stand in solidarity with the Black-American community, which has been disproportionately stricken by the virus.
We urge state, county and city officials, public health departments, and agencies to immediately take the recommended actions presented so that all communities most affected by this pandemic can share in our vision of healthy, informed, and thriving communities, living with personal agency, and shared responsibility for their health and community wellness.
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