Officials Detail COVID Vaccine Plans, Note 'We're Still In...This Pandemic'

The City of Chicago announced plans to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes available, though some officials cautioned that side effects could set in within a day or two.

Still, the side effects “are not dangerous. They indicate the vaccine is activating the body’s immune response against the virus that causes COVID-19 illness,” a city press release reads.

Frontline healthcare workers will be first in line to receive the vaccine, according to the release issued Wednesday (December 9). Initial doses will go to the city’s 34 hospitals, possibly beginning next week, depending upon FDA approval.

Following frontline workers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, essential workers and those at higher risk of severe symptoms will take priority.

Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady explained that “the situation is very fluid” as the number of doses available to Chicagoans week after week remains unclear.

However, officials aim to get all adults in Chicago vaccinated at no cost in 2021, according to the release.

“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,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in the release. “However, as encouraged as we are by the COVID-19 vaccine, widespread community distribution is still months away, and we must remain diligent in adhering to the public health guidelines as we continue to move forward toward a brighter and more resilient future for all of us.”  

The COVID-19 vaccines will be administered in two shots, according to the press release. The streamlined process to make the vaccines available hasn’t skipped any steps, and Chicago officials will assemble a local scientific advisory committee for review.

Pfizer’s and Moderna’s preliminary reports show “highly effective” vaccines that are “well tolerated in clinical trials,” overall. Still, Chicago officials note some “bothersome side effects such as fatigue and muscle aches” in up to 10% of patients.

“The risk of side effects for 1-2 days after vaccination is far outweighed by the risk of severe illness and loss of life caused by COVID-19 infection,” Arwady said in the release. “We also need to remain focused on the fact that we’re still in the midst of this pandemic. COVID-19 cases are surging around the country and the risk of becoming ill is significant. People need to continue to follow the public health guidance. Chicago remains under a Stay-at-Home Advisory and we have to continue to focus on bending the curve even as the vaccine becomes more and more available.”  

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