ABC Chicago, February 4, 2021.
CHICAGO (WLS) — Many Chicagoans are already struggling to fill prescriptions because there are no drugstores in their neighborhoods, and that could also make it tougher to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
“My work found that predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Chicago have fewer pharmacies and are more likely to be pharmacy deserts, and are also more likely to experience closures,” said Associate Professor Dima Mazen Qato, University of Southern California.
Pharmacy deserts are defined as communities in which residents live more than a half a mile from a pharmacy, and lack access to affordable transportation. It’s more often an issue for the urban poor according to Qato, who estimates a third of Chicago’s population is affected.