Healthcare providers may begin administering coronavirus vaccines to people over the age of 65 who live or work in Chicago starting Monday at a later modified phase of the city’s vaccination plan.
Chicago Department of Public Health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady announced the change last week alongside Mayor Lori Lightfoot at a press conference from a new mass vaccination site.
Hospitals and outpatient centers registered as COVID-19 vaccine providers are being instructed to continue to prioritize health care workers, especially Phase 1A non-hospital health care workers, according to the city’s updated vaccination plan.
But as of Monday, if providers have doses of the vaccine available and health workers are not scheduled for vaccination, they can move on to a new phase 1B that allows people over 65 to get the vaccine.
Priority will be given to those over the age of 75 or over the age of 65 who present with significant underlying conditions, Arwady said.
Officials also announced last week that the city will open six more Dispensing Point (POD) mass vaccination sites, but noted that these sites will continue to focus only on Phase 1A health workers, with only by appointment.
Arwady noted that those who meet the requirements, i.e., those over 65, for vaccinations in the next modified phase should not register anywhere and that healthcare providers will be the ones to administer the vaccines primarily. .
“I don’t want to give people the impression that they can still sign up for an appointment,” Arwady said, but added that this option would be available “very soon”.
While the measure is not the full phase 1B initially planned for the city, it comes at the request of federal officials this week who asked states to vaccinate people 65 and older and under 65 with conditions underlying high risk health.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker also announced last week that the state will begin its next phase of vaccinations, also known as Phase 1B, on Jan. 25.
Phase 1B will focus on residents age 65 and older and “essential front-line workers,” including first aid workers, education workers, such as teachers and support staff, daycare workers, employees of grocery stores, postal service workers and more.
Phase 1B will include approximately 3.2 million Illinois residents, according to the state.
Here’s a look at who will be included in Phase 1B:
- Residents 65 years of age or older
- Essential front-line workers, which means “residents who have a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19 because of their job functions, often because they cannot work from home and / or have to work closely with others without being able to distance themselves socially.This includes:
- First responders: Fires, law enforcement, 911 workers, security personnel, school officers
- Education: Teachers, principals, student aid, student aid, daycare
- Food and agriculture: Processing, plants, veterinary health, livestock services, animal care
- Manufacturing: Industrial production of goods for distribution to retail, wholesale or other manufactures
- Corrections and interns: Prison agents, juvenile facility staff, in-person support workers, inmates
- USPS workers
- Public transport workers: Flight crew, bus drivers, train drivers, taxi drivers, public transport drivers, in-person assistance, travel sharing services
- Grocery store workers: Baggers, ATMs, stockers, collection, customer service
- Hostels and daycare staff: Shelter for the homeless, shelter for women, adult program / daily, sheltered workshop, psychosocial rehabilitation
Pritzker said Friday through Friday that this week the state will maintain “hundreds of vaccination sites statewide, including retail pharmacy chains, Illinois National Guard mobile equipment, mass vaccination sites run by the state.” ‘state in northern, central and southern Illinois, hospitals and emergency care locations and, ultimately, medical offices and large employers who can host their own workplace clinics “
The Illinois National Guard will be active in helping local health departments expand vaccination clinics, Pritzker said, with the first two teams deployed to Cook County Department of Health sites.
As of Jan. 25, National Guard-led sites will begin vaccinating eligible Phase 1B residents, as well as CVS, Jewel Osco, and Walgreens sites, Pritzker said.
All of these vaccination sites will just be appointment, Pritzker said, asking residents not to line up at the store or call local pharmacies. He said that before phase 1B begins, the state will launch the Illinois COVID-19 Vaccine Management Plan website to provide information to residents about finding a nearby vaccination site and how to make an appointment. .