CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Mayor Lightfoot said Chicago Public School teachers will be able to have access to any available coronavirus vaccines, but not before other essential workers.
With CPS hoping to reopen school buildings for some students as early as next month, Mayor Lightfoot was asked if she’d push for school teachers to be moved up the list of those who will first receive any COVID-19 vaccines.
The Chicago Teachers Union has not asked for this, but considers it a bargaining issue. But, Mayor Lightfoot said, essentially, the city’s hands are tied.
She pointed out that in order to receive vaccine doses to distribute, the city has to agree to follow Centers for Disease Control priorities for who gets them.
"In the first instance in who gets it, not surprisingly, was frontline healthcare workers, and the initial tranche of vaccines that we anticipate getting won't even cover all of them. We anticipate getting a percentage of what we are going to need, but that will ramp up overtime," she said.
And the Mayor said the CDC criteria make sense. But she said if officials see any problems with distribution, she won’t hesitate to speak up.
She spoke after a briefing on the city’s preparations for winter weather.
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