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Illinois hospitals to begin administering COVID vaccines this week
Chicago area hospitals are gearing up to give the first COVID-19 vaccination shots as early as Monday morning.
CHICAGO - Chicago area hospitals are gearing up to give the first COVID-19 vaccination shots as early as Monday morning.
Loyola Medical Center is one of ten Illinois hospitals distributing Pfizer’s vaccine, with 16,000 doses arriving at the Maywood campus this week.
Following CDC guidelines, healthcare workers, nursing home residents and first responders will be vaccinated first.
“Over the next 2-3 weeks, how effective we are about vaccinating that first group, and I think we’ll have a better idea as to when we can get to other people in the general population,” said Dr. Neil Gupta of Loyola Medicine.
Ultra-cold freezers were brought in to store the vaccine. Dr. Gupta says they expect to receive more shipments every week.
Chicago will get its own batch of vaccinations, some 23,000 initial doses to be dispersed to area hospitals.
Still, widespread distribution is not expected until the middle of next year.
“I’m ready. Yeah, I’m ready to get back to normal. Been going on way too long,” said Chicagoan Megan Endlich.
“I hope this vaccine is gonna be the answer,” said veteran Carl Armand.
Overnight, Illinois recorded 7,200 new COVID cases, including an additional 115 deaths.
Armand says he has been tested four times for the virus. He also says the pandemic has become aggravating and stressful for many people.
“It’s hard to be happy under these circumstances, but I think we’re doing the best we can,” Armand said.