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“According to the county health department, they re talking about mid-February, maybe the last couple of weeks of February, no later than early March,” he said.
Spouses and family members of those educators will not be eligible to get it at the same time.
The health department asked the district to conduct a survey to see how many teachers want to get the vaccine. Around 70-80% said they want to take it.
“We ve asked for legal advice. Can we require people to be [vaccinated]? Well, the answer is yes, with some exceptions,” he said. “If you have a religious purpose for not getting vaccinated, or you have a disability that would prevent you from being vaccinated.”
The priority eligibility age will lower from 75 to 65 for the next stage of Illinois COVID-19 vaccine distribution, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday. The shift marks a departure from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendations.
“ACIP’s guidance serves as the foundational blueprint for Illinois’ Phase 1B plan, with one key adjustment: here in Illinois we are more strongly pursuing equity in the distribution of our vaccinations,” Pritzker said.
Illinois Department of Public Health director Ngozi Ezike said the change was made because of COVID-19’s disproportionate toll on Illinois’ Latinx and Black populations. The average age of death from COVID-19 is 81 for White residents, 72 for Black residents and 68 for Latinx residents, according to IDPH data.