Vaccine reluctance in Cook County prompts new advertising campaign

Cook County has launched a new COVID-19 vaccine campaign, based in part on a survey showing that 46% of African-American residents say they likely would not get the shot or were unsure about getting it.

“The ‘My Shot’ campaign speaks directly to these individuals who need to hear from their neighbors about the safety of these shots and the importance of making the choice to get vaccinated,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said Monday during a Facebook Live event.

The campaign drew on responses from about 1,100 Cook County residents surveyed earlier this year. Among other things, it found that, overall, 32% of respondents were hesitant about getting the vaccine. Broken down by race, 46% of Black and 35% of Latino residents “probably would not, definitely would not or were unsure if they would get the vaccine.”

The multi-lingual campaign — featuring the stories of actual Cook County residents promoting getting the vaccine — is to be posted on bus shelters and billboards, as well as online and in print media, officials said.

To learn more, go to myshotcookcounty.com

Meanwhile, state health officials on Monday announced 782 new probable and confirmed COVID-19 cases — the lowest daily case total since July 14, when the state reported 707 new cases.

The state also reported an additional 12 deaths Monday, including eight in Cook County. The new cases were found in among 39,145 tests processed by state health officials in the last 24 hours, for a daily positivity rate of 2.2 percent. On Sunday, 62,508 shots of the vaccine were administered in Illinois, according to health officials.

Contributing: Caroline Hurley