CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Mayor Lightfoot said Loretto Hospital will have some work to do in rebuilding trust on the West Side; and it may be a while before the hospital receives anymore vaccines.
Mayor Lightfoot said she and Chicago Department of Public Health officials have reached out to other vaccine providers to take up the work that Loretto Hospital was doing to reach the most vulnerable on the city's West Side, as the distribution of new COVID vaccine doses have been suspended for the hospital.
Stories continue to unfold of vaccines being administered to ineligible recipients, including doses showing up at Trump Tower and a high-end Gold Coast jewelry shop frequented by Loretto's Chief Operating Officer Dr. Anosh Ahmed.
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Both Dr. Ahmed and Loretto's CEO George Miller have been reprimanded by the hospital's board; but Mayor Lightfoot said it may be awhile before Loretto, again, receives doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
"Look, the bottom line is there's not enough vaccine. Understanding that there is a finite number of vaccine, we are trying to do this the fairest way, which is using the data and the science to tell us where the greatest need is," Lightfoot said.
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The Mayor told reporters Monday that she expects to hear of more instances coming to light concerning vaccine doses intended for vulnerable populations making their way into the arms of the ineligible.
She "fears that we’re gonna hear more stories," Lightfoot said. "Which is why we pushed pause on giving Loretto new first doses. The Department of Public Health, also myself personally, have been in contact with the CEO and members of the board. They’ve got work to do...to rebuild trust in their own community."
State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, released the following statement regarding the recent situation at The Loretto Hospital:
“I am very disappointed with the recent developments at The Loretto Hospital regarding its use of coronavirus vaccine entrusted to the hospital. Yesterday, I submitted my resignation to The Loretto Hospital’s Board Chairman Edward Hogan because I strongly disagreed with how the reprimand of the hospital leadership was handled. As the state representative for the hospital and as a resident in its service area, I will continue to fight for resources for The Loretto Hospital, a safety-net hospital in the Austin community.”