Chicago, Illinois Officials Prep To Receive COVID-19 Vaccines

Chicago and Illinois officials are prepping to receive the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to talk further about the COVID-19 vaccine Monday afternoon (December 14).

Frontline healthcare workers will be first in line to receive the vaccine, according to a city press release issued December 9. Initial doses in Chicago will go to the city’s 34 hospitals.

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

The state is expected to receive about 109,000 doses in the first shipment, including about 23,000 doses in Chicago, according to NBC Chicago.

Healthcare professionals expressed “hopefulness” and “excitement” to the station, still noting the importance of taking COVID-19 precautions — including wearing a mask and social distancing — even as people begin to receive the vaccine.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot made similar remarks last week.

“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,” Lightfoot said. “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.”

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