Chicago kids get vaccinated as COVID hospitalizations rising

At a Pilsen school’s gym, 12-year-old Sofia Lemus sat down to get her third COVID-19 shot. The seventh grader, who wore stacks of friendship bracelets on her wrists, pulled up her sleeves, saying she wanted to get the vaccine so she didn’t get sick.

“I was a little bit scared, because I thought it was going to hurt,” Lemus said. “But it didn’t hurt so I was OK.”

About a dozen kids received free vaccines Sunday at a clinic organized by People’s Resource Network and the Chicago Department of Public Health at St. Procopius Dual Language School. They offered flu, COVID-19 and other childhood vaccines, except for chickenpox, to children from 6 weeks to 19 years old.

COVID-19 hospitalization rates have started to rise again in Illinois, with health officials urging residents to get “fully protected” with booster shots and the flu vaccine in time for the holidays. During the week of Nov. 25, about 1,000 new people were admitted to hospitals with COVID-19, a 20% increase compared with the previous week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Illinois Department of Health reported that hospital data also shows increases in flu and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, across the state. The hospital admission level in Cook County is considered “low,” however, according to the CDC. About 500 hospitalizations were recorded in the week ending Nov. 25, a 14% increase from the previous week.

Dr. Howard Ehrman, the co-founder of People’s Resource Network, said it’s important to meet people where they are when distributing vaccines. Undocumented, uninsured and African American kids and adults generally have lower immunization rates, putting them at higher risk of getting sick, Ehrman said.

“Numbers are going up everywhere, including Chicago and Illinois,” he said. “So if you don’t get vaccinated, you run a much higher risk of getting really sick, being hospitalized and dying.”

The CDC recommends that children ages 6 months or older get vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu.

Ehrman also warned of declining measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rates in schools nationwide, including at Chicago Public Schools. He said many people don’t realize the importance of vaccines until it’s too late.

“We want people to reestablish the whole idea of community and the fact that we have to care about each other. We’re not just here as individuals,” he said. “We go to work, we go to school, we go shopping, we take the bus, we’re part of a community. And if we don’t take care of everybody, people are going to get sick and die.”

Lonette Sims, the chair of the People’s Resource Network, said they had another clinic a few weeks ago for adults, where they vaccinated about 150 people. More clinics are in the works for next year, she said. The group is pushing for the “Take Vaccine to the People Chicago” Ordinance, to give more resources to the Department of Public Health.

“People should get vaccines to protect their health, and it can also protect people within the community who might not be able to get a vaccine,” she said.

For Denis Lemus, Sofia’s dad, protecting his kids is top of mind. Lemus, who attends St. Procopius Catholic Church, also got a COVID-19 and flu shot at the clinic for adults.

“I believe wholeheartedly in the vaccine,” he said. “If everyone were to get it, (infection rates) would probably slow down.”

rjohnson@chicagotribune.com