CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago began giving its first doses of the Moderna vaccine to healthcare workers Monday as the city marked another milestone in its fight against COVID-19.
Hilda Lopez, a medical assistant at Esperanza Medical Center in Brighton Park, said she had never been so excited to get a vaccine right before she became the first to get the shot.
Carmen Vergara, chief operating officer at Esperanza Medical Center, said it’s important the vaccines are distributed to communities that are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.
“I can’t tell you how eager I am to get the vaccine out to those who need it the most. And that’s why we’re looking closely at the current guidelines on equitable distribution make sure they really reflect what we’re seeing on the ground in the neighborhoods that we serve,” Vergara said.
Esperanza and five other health centers that do a lot of outpatient work – including COVID-19 testing – are getting the vaccine in what Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady calls a significant expansion of the city’s plans.
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Long-term care residents and staffers are part of this wave that also includes a mass vaccination clinic Tuesday at Malcolm X College for medical personnel who don’t work in hospitals.
Dr. Arwady said the city received another 21,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week that went to hospitals.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she’s proud the city is moving to this stage but warns the public not to celebrate by stopping all the protective measures they’ve been taking like washing hands and wearing masks.
She said we’re still months away from wide spread community distribution of the vaccine.
The FDA issued emergency authorization of the Moderna vaccine on Dec. 18, with shipments going out around the country two days later.