AARP says the COVID-19 crisis has widened racial and economic disparities

Posted on February 8, 2021
AARP Illinois president Rosanna Marquez. (Photo courtesy: Dave Dahl/WJBC)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – AARP and other groups say the coronavirus crisis has only widened racial and economic disparities.

Unveiling a program called “Disrupt Disparities,” AARP Illinois president Rosanna Marquez said, look at the vaccination numbers.

“We all know Illinois needs to do a better job of helping older adults sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine,” Marquez told an online news conference Monday. “There is no time to waste. They are hearing a lot of anxiety and frustration, especially from older adults of communities of color. I think we are all reading and hearing about just how much lower rates of vaccination we are seeing, not just in Illinois, but across the country.”

“It has never been more urgent to address the disparities facing our older adults of color across the state,” added State Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago). “We are in the midst of three crises: a public health crisis, an economic crisis, and a crisis in terms of systemic racism.

“It pains me to see that in our state older adults have remained the most at risk of infection.”

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