Chicago Nears 77-Percent Vaccination Goal Before Thanksgiving

CHICAGO — Officials celebrated nearing symbolic milestone on a citywide mission to vaccinate at least 77 percent of Chicagoans that are at least 12 years old before Thanksgiving.

In September, Mayor Lori Lightfoot launched the marketing campaign to bolster the number of adults and children age 12 and older who have received at least one vaccine shot. The 77-percent vaccine mark is a nod to Chicago's 77 community areas, not a significant scientific statistic.

Since then, the percentage of Chicagoans in that age category increased nearly five percentage points. Lightfoot says the upward trajectory on jabs in arms is significant, but just a start.

"As we prepare to celebrate this milestone, we also acknowledge that there is still work to do to protect our communities from COVID-19 and move past this pandemic," Mayor Lightfoot said. "Across Chicago, there are still too many residents who have yet to get their COVID-19 vaccine, and with eligibility recently expanding to children as young as five, the City is deepening its efforts to reach our hardest-hit communities and connect them with information about and access to these life-saving vaccines."

Chicago public health statistics show Black and Latino communities continue post laggin getting vaccinated against COVID-19. In Englewood, South Chicago and Southeast Side neighborhoods, for instance, the percentage of people at least 12 years old who have received at least one jab remains under 58 percent, according to city data.