The Illinois Department of Public Health released its immunization guidance recently, and Chris Hoff, executive director of the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center, shared what that means for county residents as the state finds itself “charting a different course” from the federal government.

According to a department release, along with the immunization guidance, IDPH Director Sameer Vohra issued a standing order to make it easier for residents to get COVID-19 vaccines through pharmacies and other clinical settings, and the IDPH endorsed the CDC’s Aug. 7 immunization schedules.

Hoff said the new guidance includes local input. Denise Flores, public health nurse and health educator with Lake County, was one of 20 experts on vaccines brought in for the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee that worked on the guidance.

The local face will hopefully help show it “isn’t some mysterious group making decisions behind closed doors,” Hoff said.

“It’s an open, transparent process,” he said. “We’re really proud to have somebody from Lake County on that advisory committee. I hope that gives people a sense that there are real people making these recommendations.”

Broadly speaking, the recommendation is that everyone six months or older be vaccinated against the flu and COVID, Hoff said. It was important to get vaccinated before the peak indoor season, starting in December, since it takes about two weeks after vaccination to develop immunity, Hoff said.

It was especially important for those at highest risk of severe consequences, including pregnant women and those with underlying health issues, to be up-to-date on vaccinations for preventable diseases.

Although relatively rare, there can be long-lasting issues stemming from COVID or the flu, Hoff warned, and while today is a long way from the pandemic days of 2020 and 2021, COVID can still cause serious illness and death.

“We can’t predict who’s going to have a severe outcome and who won’t,” Hoff said, although he noted some are “more at risk” than others. Vaccines can prevent those severe outcomes.

LCHD has been sending out communications and working with the county’s school districts, making sure people are up-to-date on vaccines and have access to providers. Lake County has seen some of its schools’ vaccination rates, specifically for measles, slip downward. Anytime vaccination levels drop, Hoff said that’s a concern for health officials.

“It increases the chance that somebody coming back from travel, or a family member visiting from somewhere else brings that virus to the community,” he said.

Charting a different course

Hoff, who began his tenure as the head of the health department earlier this year and has spent the last two decades working in local public health in the Chicagoland area, talked about the unusual position Illinois has found itself in.

He said that, typically a CDC advisory group, looking at evidence collectively across the country, would set the guidelines. But, “if those recommendations aren’t guided by the best science, or there are concerns about the process, then I think we’ll see more efforts locally here,” he said.

Whether next year will see the same case of dueling federal and state guidance is uncertain, Hoff said, but it was important for Illinois to “look at the best available science.”

“If that means charting a different course than what the federal government has chosen, then we’re going to take actions that try to protect the health of Lake County residents the best we can,” Hoff said.

There are some concerns that the mixed messaging from the state and federal governments could cause confusion, but Hoff said LCHD’s primary message is that “vaccines are safe and effective,” and are important ways to prevent serious illness and death.

For those with questions, Hoff recommended reaching out to valid, trusted sources, such as health providers, or local or state health departments, which offer various vaccine-related resources.

“There’s been a lot of debate, a lot of scientific rigor to develop those over time,” Hoff said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/03/lake-county-vaccines/