CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — As coronavirus cases steadily climb in Chicago, local healthcare professionals join those across the country preparing for the COVID-19 vaccine that's on the way.
Dr. Gregory Huhn, an infectious disease physician with Cook County Health, is responsible for coordinating the vaccine rollout at Stroger Hospital and told CBS 2 those who work directly with COVID-19 patients will be at the front of the line.
“We anticipate vaccinating hundreds a day. So we would hope that — it’s critical that we actually keep pace. This is a rather intricate type of process where the vaccine needs to maintained in ultra-cold storage,” Dr. Huhn said.
At Rush University Medical Center, they’re planning to vaccinate a thousand healthcare workers a day in newly constructed pods in the hospital lobby.
Related
Dr. Meetah P. Shah, who works at Rush, said it feels surreal having the vaccine after months and months of caring for coronavirus patients.
In the meantime, the coronavirus cases in Illinois continue to accumulate.
On Saturday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 8,737 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, including 127 additional virus-related deaths. Since the pandemic’s start, Illinois has a total of 841,688 cases, including 14,176 deaths.
IDPH has reported that 126,888 coronavirus tests have been administered over the past 24 hours, bringing the total administered tests to 11,713,184.