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health

Loretto first hospital in Chicago to give COVID-19 vaccine

By Zach Cunning | December 17, 2020

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.

News

Host of COVID-related problems continue to affect West Siders

By Zach Cunning | December 16, 2020

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.

health

City starts laying out plan for vaccine rollout

By Zach Cunning | December 10, 2020

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.

Opinion

Will Blacks, Latinx people see the need to get vaccinated? Austin lawmaker hopes so

By Rep. La Shawn Ford | December 6, 2020

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.