COVID-19 in High-Risk Populations

• People aged 65 years and older
• People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility

• People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
• People who have serious heart conditions
• People who are immunocompromised
• Many conditions can cause a person to be immunocompromised, including cancer treatment, smoking, bone marrow or organvtransplantation, immune deficiencies, poorly controlled HIV or AIDS, and prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications.
• People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher)
• People with diabetes
• People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
• People with liver disease

​Click here for the latest information and guidance for individuals at higher risk for severe illness from the CDC. 

The effects of COVID-19 on the health of racial and ethnic minority groups is still emerging, but according the CDC, current data suggest a disproportionate burden of illness and death among racial and ethnic minority groups.

This public health concern is apparent in Oak Park, where African American residents make up roughly 20 percent of the population but have consistently accounted for upwards of 40 percent of positive cases among residents, based on data from the Illinois Department of Public Health and compiled by the Oak Park Department of Public Health.

A wide range of local demographic data, including a break down of positive cases among Oak Park residents by race, can be found under the Demographic Data header at www.oak-park.us/covid19.

According to the CDC, health differences between racial and ethnic groups are often due to economic and social conditions that are more common among some racial and ethnic minorities than whites. In public health emergencies, these conditions can also isolate people from the resources they need to prepare for and respond to outbreaks.