COVID Chicago update: Health officials discuss coronavirus vaccine distribution and travel order

CHICAGO (WLS) – Chicago is updating its quarantine order for COVID-19 travel and posting new details on Tuesday on how a vaccine would be deployed locally.

A group of independent experts are holding an emergency meeting at the CDC on Tuesday to vote on which ones they recommend to receive the coronavirus vaccine first.

However, what they decide will not be binding and it will be up to national and local authorities to decide where the doses go first.

“I think it’s likely we’ll be vaccinating here in Chicago, probably the third week of December or the fourth week of December depending on how the federal schedule pays,” said Dr Allison Arwady, Department of Health commissioner. Chicago Public Health. “Which literally means two weeks from today we could be talking about vaccination.”

Priority will be given to healthcare workers who work with patients with COVID-19, followed by other healthcare workers, according to Candace Robinson, medical director of the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Chicago receives between 20 and 25,000 doses of the vaccine, according to Robinson.

Governor JB Pritzker said the state plans to announce a tiered plan later this week.

Healthcare workers will be the first priority, but the state is promising fairness as vaccines become more widely available.

RELATED: Chicago Prepares For COVID-19 Vaccine As United Begins Shipping First Sticks

“There are a lot of people who are very vulnerable, as you know, who have comorbidities, you know, who live in communities that have been affected by the prevalence of the disease in general or the failure of health care. in these communities. Governor Pritzker said.

The goal is for the vaccine to be available to most Americans by next summer.

“We were ready and we are ready to begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine when the trials are complete,” Arwady said.

As part of Chicago’s vaccination plan, thousands of first doses would go immediately to frontline healthcare workers. First responders and residents of long-term care facilities would also be given priority.

RELATED: Chicago Should Play Central Role in Transporting and Distributing COVID-19 Vaccine

“We work with our hospitals. We recruit them from vaccine suppliers. We get additional information from them about their healthcare worker numbers and who may fall into these higher risk categories,” said Dr Candice. Robinson, medical director of the CDPH.

Chicago’s vaccine shortage and distribution plan has already been well designed with increased capacity for different temperatures, a plan to receive multiple vaccines, and increased hours and services at clinics across the city to dispense doses.

“We actually used our flu clinics as a practice opportunity for our administration of the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Robinson.

“By the time we get to April, they would probably have taken over all of the high priority and then the general population of the normal, healthy young man or woman – 30 years old, who have no underlying conditions. [and] can go to a CVS or Walgreens and get vaccinated, ”said Dr. Anthony Fauci.

On Tuesday morning, Illinois Teachers’ Federation president Dan Montgomery said if the goal was to get kids back to school as early as possible, teachers should be on the priority list for a vaccine.

He says the teachers are ready.

RELATED: https://abc7chicago.com/health/will-illinois-teachers-be-prioritized-for-covid-19-vaccine/8395922/

“I think the vast majority of people will get vaccinated when it is safe and appropriate.”

In the meantime, drug maker Pfizer is shifting additional shipments from production in Belgium to a storage facility in Kalamazoo, Mich., So as soon as the FDA approves the vaccine for emergency use, those first injections will be ready to rush across the country.

In Illinois, the state’s top doctor, Ngozi Ezike, advises residents of Illinois to be patient.

“It’s going to be like a phase 1-A and 1-B and 1-C, and that alone will take, you know, several months to roll out,” Dr. Ezike said. “So it’s not a December 10 question – maybe there will be vaccines several days later. Great. We’re all set.”

Three states were last added to the Amber Box in the Chicago Travel Quarantine Update on November 17.

This was the first update since the redesign of the order with a new color coding system.

Under the new system, states are classified into three categories: red, orange and yellow.

On November 17, California, New Hampshire and New York moved from the yellow category to the orange category.

States in the yellow box have a seven-day moving average of less than 15 cases per day per 100,000 population. No quarantine or pre-arrival testing is required.

Amber Box states have a seven-day moving average of 15 cases per day per 100,000 population to Chicago’s seven-day moving average, currently 60 cases per day per 100,000 population. A 14 day quarantine or pre-arrival test not exceeding 72 hours prior to arrival is required.

States in the red box have a seven-day moving average of cases per day per 100,000 population above Chicago’s rate. A 14-day quarantine is mandatory.

Only three states are in the yellow category (no requirement): Maine, Hawaii, Vermont

However, Dr Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said non-essential travel is still not recommended in Yellow States.

-34 Orange and Puerto Rico states (must be quarantined or given a negative test result prior to arrival): Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

-12 red states (must be quarantined): Indiana, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota, Iowa, Utah, Wisconsin, Wyoming.