Greetings,
Like many of you, I’m ready
to roll up my sleeve and do my part to put an end to this pandemic.
Our City’s Health and Human
Services Department is ready, too. As one of only four state-certified
municipal health departments in Illinois, Evanston City staff and volunteers
have been planning, training and preparing for mass vaccination events and
public health crises long before “Covid” ever entered our vocabularies.
If you were in Evanston in
2009, you may remember hearing about or even attending one of the City’s
community vaccination clinics, where thousands of residents were vaccinated
during the H1N1 pandemic. Ike Ogbo, who leads our Health and Human Services
Department, was a part of that effort.
As our COVID-19 vaccination
campaign gains momentum, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on our
City’s plans and progress, set expectations for the months ahead, and provide
answers to a few frequently asked questions.
·
How
many vaccine doses has the City received so far? How many have been
distributed?
Through Jan. 11, the City
has received 5,225 vaccine doses and has distributed approximately 5,000 of
those doses; 4,125 doses have been provided to Evanston hospitals to administer
to their healthcare workers; 70 doses have been administered directly to
paramedics and first responders; 800+ doses have been administered directly to
non-hospital healthcare workers; and any remaining doses will be administered
to additional Evanston healthcare workers later this week.
·
What
about our long-term care facilities?
Long-term care facility
residents and staff are receiving on-site vaccinations from CVS and Walgreens
as part of a federal partnership. Those vaccinations began in late December,
and are anticipated to continue through the first quarter of 2021.
Although the City is not
managing this portion of vaccine distribution, we are in frequent contact with
our long-term care facilities and the Illinois Department of Public Health,
which is overseeing this process.
·
How
will I know when it's my turn to get the vaccine?
If you haven’t already,
please complete the City’s Vaccination Interest Form (español). Completing this form will support the City’s
ongoing planning and distribution efforts, and will allow the City to notify
you when the vaccine is available to you. Please complete this form for
each member of your household.
Although the vaccine has
been authorized only for those 16 years and older, the City is now encouraging
everyone who's interested in receiving the vaccine when it becomes available to
them to complete the form, even those under 16.
·
Where
is the vaccine being distributed?
Currently, while supplies
are limited, the City is hosting closed vaccination clinics to administer
vaccines to priority groups outlined in our phased distribution plan. You can
read more about this plan on the City’s COVID-19 Vaccination page. As supplies increase, the
vaccine may become available at pharmacies and doctors' offices, similar to flu
shots, as well as at additional City vaccination events open to the general
public.
·
Where
are we in the distribution process?
We are currently in the
first phase, Phase 1a, which includes healthcare workers, long-term care
facility residents and staff, and paramedics.
Our next phase, Phase 1b,
could begin as early as next week or soon thereafter depending on the
availability of vaccines and state guidance. This phase includes frontline
essential workers, those living in congregate settings, and individuals over
the age of 65. Police officers and firefighters, teachers and daycare workers,
public transit employees, grocery store workers, and manufacturing workers are
among those included in this priority group. See the IDPH website for details.
After the distribution to
these groups, Phase 1c will begin, and will include individuals age 16 to 59
with high-risk medical conditions, other essential workers, and those over the
age of 60. Additional details about this group will be available as we move
through Phase 1b.
Vaccines will then be made
available to the rest of the general public. All Evanston adults are expected
to have access to the vaccine in 2021.
·
Why
can’t I register to receive the vaccine now?
Vaccine supplies are
currently limited, and it’s unknown exactly how many doses the City will
receive from week to week. For this reason, the City continues to plan closed
vaccination events on a weekly basis to administer available vaccine doses to
priority groups.
As supplies increase,
registration will become available to additional priority groups and the
general public. Be sure to complete the Vaccination Interest Form (español) to stay informed.
·
What
if I miss my opportunity to get the vaccine?
Similar to boarding an
airplane, if you miss your first opportunity to “board the plane” and receive
your vaccine, you can be vaccinated at the next available opportunity.
·
Why
aren’t vaccines being distributed faster?
The pace of vaccine
distribution is entirely dependent on the amount of vaccine the City receives.
The good news is, it’s anticipated that vaccine supplies will increase
significantly over the next several weeks and months, allowing the City to
accelerate distribution.
·
When
will teachers and support staff be vaccinated?
Education sector employees
are frontline essential workers, and are included in Phase 1b of the City’s distribution
plan. That phase is expected to begin in the next several weeks.
·
When
will children be vaccinated?
The FDA has not yet
authorized a COVID-19 vaccine for those under the age of 16. Clinical trials
will need to be conducted before it's determined if a vaccine is safe and
effective for them.
·
How
do I know the vaccine is safe?
In authorizing the Pfizer
and Moderna vaccines, the FDA followed an open and transparent review process
that included input from independent scientific and public health experts, and
a thorough evaluation by the agency’s career scientists to ensure they met the
agency’s rigorous, scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and
manufacturing quality.
Further, other countries
with their own independent medical review boards have also approved these
vaccines.
·
Is
the vaccine required?
There is no federal, state
or local requirement to receive the vaccine; however, the City’s Health and
Human Services Department strongly recommends the vaccine to those 16 years and
older.
It’s possible that
some employers may require their workers to be vaccinated,
with exceptions.
·
How
is the City keeping residents informed?
Keeping the community
informed has been a top priority throughout this pandemic, and it will remain a
top priority as we begin our public vaccination campaign. For now, you can find
regular progress updates in the City’s weekly eNewsletter (subscribe here), website, and social media channels. And, as noted above,
please complete the City’s Vaccination Interest Form.
·
Finally,
when can we stop wearing masks?
Whether you’ve had the
vaccine or not, please continue to follow public health guidance, including practicing social
distancing and, yes, wearing a mask. Over time, as more people receive the vaccine,
it's anticipated that these preventive measures will be rolled back.
Providing the vaccine to
every resident and worker who wishes to receive it is a massive undertaking,
and it will require patience, flexibility, and time. But I’m confident that –
just as we’ve done throughout this pandemic – we will roll up our sleeves
together and get the job done so we can return to a new normal.
Stay safe, be well, and
thank you for your continued efforts.