As Vice President Kamala Harris visited Chicago Tuesday some community health advocates complained about how the city is handling the pandemic.
Harris was in Chicago to highlight the issue of “vaccine equity,” but critics aired grievances about vaccine distribution and the way COVID relief funds have been spent under the Lightfoot Administration.
Juan Manuel Calderone, a member of the Chicago Board of Health, said not enough vaccine doses are going to the most vulnerable populations.
Former city health official Howard Ehrman of the group People’s Response said the city’s strategy of setting up “mass vaccination” sites is ignoring people who cannot easily get to them.
Erhrman said community locations, such as churches and schools, should be used. At the same time, he said, health workers should be going door-to-door to vaccinate shut-ins.
City officials say the fire department is doing some door-to-door vaccinations.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, a frequent Lori Lightfoot critic, dredged up The Loretto Hospital scandal and said Harris should consider launching a federal probe into Chicago’s distribution of vaccine.
The advocates said city government must do better.
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