This supersite will allow the city to take a step forward to protect healthcare professionals from COVID-19. The site will focus only on health professionals not affiliated with hospitals and requires consultation. It is not open to the public.
Chicago Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady has qualified as one of the healthcare professionals who serve patients, but does not connect to a hospital. Dr. Arwady was vaccinated at Malcolm X College and said she was thrilled to be vaccinated.
Before supersite, the city reserved the vaccine for hospital staff. However, public health officials began distributing vaccines to nursing homes and community health workers on Monday.
RELATED: COVID Vaccine: The Chicago Modern Vaccine Launch Begins at Brighton Park Clinic
As part of Chicago’s focus on equity, some of the first doses of the Moderna vaccine were administered at Esperanza Health in Brighton Park, a neighborhood with a positive test rate that is more than double the city average.
“Parts of the Latinx community are still in crisis and I want to make sure we don’t lose sight of that,” said Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
The Wentworth Rehabilitation and Health Center in Englewood was the first long-term care facility in Chicago to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, while the city continues to reassure minority communities that the vaccine is safe.
Dr. Arwady said health professionals and long-term care institutions will continue to receive the vaccine throughout January and most of February. In the spring, vaccination will be transferred to older Chicagoans and essential workers.
More than 20,000 vaccinations have been administered to healthcare professionals in Chicago hospitals.
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