[ad_1]
The inoculation will not use the main United Center building itself, where the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks play. Instead, it should offer a combination of drive-thru and temporary facilities in United Center parking lots, which are deserted as large numbers of fans are not yet allowed to attend sporting events.
Two major US government units, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Defense, will take the lead in operating the mass inoculation site. But the city and county are also involved and have been discussing for the past few weeks how to expand awareness among minorities.
The opening at the United Center on the city’s West Side, sources said, would help reach black and Latin American populations who have experienced lower vaccination rates in the city. As the numbers improve, as of February 13, only 6.4% of Chicago’s black population and 6% of the Latin American population had received their first dose, compared to 11.7% of the city’s white population. .
The United Center site offers other logistical advantages: it is easily accessible by highway and public transport, and just one mile from the Illinois Medical District – home to Stroger Hospital, the university’s medical center. Rush and the University of Illinois Hospital – in case clinics are needed. Support. Meanwhile, Malcolm X College, one of the city’s Protect Chicago vaccination sites, is just a few blocks away.
The initiative is similar to efforts earlier in the pandemic to erect a COVID hospital inside McCormick Place and create pandemic facilities at recently closed hospitals like MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island and the hospital Westlake at Melrose Park.
FEMA has announced plans to open up to 100 such sites across the country to significantly expand efforts to control the pandemic.
[ad_2]
Source link