Hines VA Hospital 1 of 37 VA centers nationwide to begin administering COVID-19 vaccine
Hines VA Hospital 1 of 37 VA centers nationwide to begin administering COVID-19 vaccine
The Chicago-area Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital began administering COVID-19 vaccines to veterans in long-term care Tuesday.
CHICAGO - The Chicago-area Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital began administering COVID-19 vaccines to veterans in long-term care Tuesday.
The hospital, located at 500 5th Ave. in west suburban Hines, was one of 37 Veterans Affairs medical centers in the country that received doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine this week, according to officials from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
“The Hines VA Hospital is proud to be a part of the initial 37 VA medical centers receiving the vaccine,” said Hines VA Hospital Director James Doelling. “We are dedicated to ensuring all Veterans receiving care at VA and our employees are ultimately offered the vaccine.”
The 37 medical centers were chosen for their ability to vaccinate large numbers of people and store the vaccines at extremely cold temperatures, officials said.
Other medical centers in the state also began administering doses of the vaccine on Tuesday.
On Monday, Illinois received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine, according to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office. The state received about 43,000 doses and expected additional doses in the coming weeks.