By: Ashmar Mandou
Mayor Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) on Wednesday unveiled distribution plans for the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. “The vaccine development represents a long-awaited milestone in Chicago’s – and the nation’s – fight against COVID-19, and we look forward to working with our citywide partners to ensure the distribution process is executed as efficiently and safely as possible through an equity lens,” said Mayor Lightfoot.
As part of the plan, doses will be allocated to all 34 hospitals in the City of Chicago in an effort to help those most impacted by the pandemic. The first vaccines could be allocated the week of December 14 in Chicago, pending final approval from federal regulators; and based on guidance from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), healthcare workers who treat COVID patients or conduct procedures that put them at high risk for COVID-19 spread will be the first to receive it. Pfizer and Moderna have now submitted data for an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Following frontline healthcare workers, priority will be given to residents and staff at long-term care facilities, workers in essential and critical industries including emergency services personnel, people at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness due to underlying medical conditions, and people ages 65 years and older. CDPH expects to receive 23,000 doses in the initial batch and additional doses of the vaccine every subsequent week.
“The situation is very fluid as we don’t know how many we’ll be getting from week to week, and that will require us to be nimble in how we respond. But I have complete confidence in the team we have assembled to handle this,” said CDPH Commissioner Allison Arwady, M.D. “Since the beginning of the pandemic we have been working with healthcare and community partners on plans to quickly distribute a large amount of the vaccine. This will allow Chicago to start with as much vaccine as possible and continually increase the supply in the weeks and months to follow.”
According to the CDPH, the goal is for all Chicago adults to be able to get vaccinated in 2021 at no cost to any individual. The department has identified vaccine clinic locations and leveraged its flu campaign this year to test this out. The first COVID-19 vaccines will require two shots – the first shot starts building protection, but everyone will have to receive the second shot to receive maximum protection from the vaccine. mRNA vaccines will be some of the first COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use. mRNA vaccines do not use the live virus that causes COVID-19, so they cannot give someone COVID-19. For more information, visit www.vaccinefinder.org.
