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At Esperanza Health Center, 4700 S. California Avenue in Chicago, Lorena Perez, left, gets the new Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from registered nurse Roberto George on Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. Credit: Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/pool

CHICAGO — City officials will give a more detailed look at what 1C vaccinations will look like during a Wednesday news conference.

Chicago is still expected to begin Phase 1C coronavirus vaccinations March 29, Dr. Allison Arwady, head of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said during a livestream Tuesday. During 1C, all essential workers and people 16 and older with underlying conditions can get a shot.

The move will greatly expand who is eligible to be vaccinated. It’s the penultimate step in Chicago’s vaccination rollout; after 1C, vaccinations will be available to everyone 16 and older during Phase 2.

Officials had originally planned for 1C to take all of April and May. Arwady has said the city will receive many more doses of vaccine during those months, making it possible to expand eligibility.

But President Joe Biden said Thursday he wants all adults eligible for vaccinations by May 1, and city officials have said they’ll follow that plan — if they have the doses to expand eligibility. It’s currently unclear how Biden’s announcement will change Chicago’s plan, if at all.

A “more detailed, official” announcement about the move to 1C will come during a news conference Wednesday, Arwady said.

“We’re expected to move ahead to 1C more formally in just a couple of weeks,” Arwady said. “… As more eligibility — and especially more vaccine gets here — more eligibility opens up. There will be more opportunities. Broadly speaking, if you have an underlying condition, you’re going to be able to get a vaccine in April or May. A lot of you in April.”

For now, Chicago is still focused on vaccinating people 65 and older, who are most at risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19, Arwady said.

“But please rest assured that the month of March is mostly about trying to get our seniors done,” she said.

The city is still expecting a significant bump in doses during April and May. There should be enough doses where the city gets “to a point here where everybody who wants to get a vaccine appointment is gonna get one,” Arwady said.

RELATED: Here’s How You Can Get Vaccinated Against Coronavirus In Chicago

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