There is nothing I wanted more for Christmas than a vaccine that looked like this, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said after witnessing the first vaccinations.
She then highlighted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration s evaluation process for the first vaccine from Pfizer, approved for emergency use last week, and noted that she felt very confident in knowing that no steps for the safety process for approving a vaccine have been skipped.
City officials thanked both the workers who received the vaccine and those who administered it. They are forever now part of history in the city of Chicago and I think they recognize how important it is for them and for our city, Lightfoot said.
In Chicago, the first doses will be given at 10:30 a.m. to health care workers at Loretto Hospital, located at 645 S. Central Ave., according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Hospitals in Chicago and across Illinois have been preparing to receive and administer the first doses to health care workers on the front lines of the pandemic after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use of Pfizer s vaccine last week.
The first shipment of Pfizer s vaccine arrived in Illinois on Monday, with thousands of doses now being processed to go to hospitals across the state, Pritzker said.
Pritzker Announces $700 Million in Spending Reductions Amid $4 Billion Revenue Shortfall
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced more than $700 million in spending reductions for fiscal year 2021 as the state looks to cope with the projected loss of nearly $4 billion in revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pritzker says that a variety of strategies will be used to hit those reduction benchmarks, including a hiring freeze, reductions or freezes in grant money allocations, and operational savings.
The governor says that agencies who are working to cope with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will not be impacted by the cuts.
“Cutting our budget will be, by its very nature, painful,” he said. “If anything, our schools and public safety and healthcare deserve more investments, not less.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker s office said the first vaccinations done through the state s jurisdiction, with Pritzker and Illinois Department of Public Health officials monitoring, will be conducted Tuesday downstate. Further details on where and when the vaccinations would take place were not immediately available.
Hospitals in Chicago and across Illinois have been preparing to receive and administer the first doses to health care workers on the front lines of the pandemic after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use of Pfizer s vaccine last week.
The first shipment of Pfizer s vaccine arrived in Illinois on Monday, with thousands of doses now being processed to go to hospitals across the state, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said.
She noted, however, that the first vaccines are only the start. It s very important that everyone understands you do need both vaccines, she said, referring to the booster dose people will need to get in the weeks after their first shot.
The Pfizer vaccine requires two shots given three weeks apart. It s an important step but there s still another step, she added. I hope that all the people who are watching this have confidence that this is a vaccine that you should take as well.
In Chicago, the first doses were given to health care workers at Loretto Hospital just minutes earlier.