COVID-19 KNOWLEDGE AND IMPACT ACROSS ILLINOIS REGIONS: THE LATINO EXPERIENCE

With the rise of future COVID-19 variants and shift towards an endemic public health strategy, the urgency to reach those historically more affected by pandemics is stronger than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be no exception to these trends, with low income and minority communities encompassing more risk to the virus1 due to several factors such as chronic conditions, longer and more dangerous work hours, and decreased access to healthcare. The social determinants of health play a key role in the well-being of these individuals, with even those who do not have underlying health conditions being at a greater risk due to stress and deprivation weakening immune systems. Overall, Hispanic/Latinos and other minority communities require more outreach efforts and the results of this survey highlights areas in which our current COVID-19 response can be improved