AustinTalks (http://austintalks.org/tag/coronavirus/)
During a virtual press conference held Sunday, Congressman Danny Davis, city Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Alds. Emma Mitts (37th) and Jason Ervin (28th), and Cook County Commissioners Dennis Deer and Donna Miller said it’s imperative African Americans be willing to get the two-dose vaccine. Davis was among the first to get vaccinated earlier this month.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford shares this information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the COVID-19 vaccines are given to healthcare personnel and nursing home residents. Essential workers and those 75 years and older will be able to get the shots next.
The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to be administered in Chicago were given at The Loretto Hospital Tuesday morning. Mayor Lightfoot hailed it as a milestone, but officials caution Chicago isn’t out of the woods yet. Also this week, Loretto announced it will be launching a coronavirus vaccine trial with a focus on minority populations. To learn more, tune in early next month to a virtual town hall the hospital will be holding.
At a community meeting hosted last weekend by state Rep. La Shawn Ford, community members discussed concerns they have about e-learning and the opioid crisis, which is hitting the West Side even harder this year than in 2019.
If two key federal agencies approve the vaccines in coming days, as expected, Chicago would receive its first doses of Pfizer’s vaccine as early as next week and Moderna’s the week after, a local health official told members of the Leaders Network. Members of the group asked what the city is doing to build confidence and trust among the African American community to take the vaccine. Chicago health officials are reaching out to community ambassadors, partners and organizations, incudling churches on the West Side, to help educate residents and encourage them to get vaccinated.
Many in the African American and Latinx communities remain wary of immunization and the medical establishment at large, writes state Rep. La Shawn Ford. That’s why “we have to make sure that people trust the vaccine will work, and we need to do everything that we can to bring an understanding to our community about how important it is to take the vaccine and to be able to trust it,” Ford says.
The testing will take place Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 5051 W. Chicago Ave. In addition to testing, other community services, including a mask giveaway, haircuts for children, a pre-Thanksgiving meal and Narcan distribution, will occur.
Gov J.B. Pritzker visited L. May Creations, an event space on Chicago Avenue, last week to announce the release of millions of dollars in emergency relief funding. L. May Creations is one of 4,000 businesses across the state that has received a grant. There is about $175 million left to distribute, state officials say.
Stop by La Follette Park, at 1333 N. Laramie Ave., Oct. 30 from 12 to 4 p.m. Learn about community resources and get free masks, hand sanitizer and youth bike helmets.
Westside Health Authority, Safer Foundation and Habilitative Systems Inc. are among 31 groups receiving funding through the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, which received a $56 million grant from the Chicago Department of Public Health to oversee contact tracing efforts.