- Credibility:
CHICAGO — Chicago will only vaccinate its own residents at city-run sites when it moves into Phase 1C on March 29.
People who live outside Chicago will still be able to get shots through their private medical providers in the city or at vaccination events at their workplaces, Dr. Allison Arwady, head of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said during a Wednesday news conference. But the city will prioritize its doses for its own residents at the sites it runs come March 29.
“For public, city of Chicago vaccination sites like those that will be available on Zocdoc, at least for the next couple of months we will be limiting that eligibility for Chicago residents,” Arwady said.
Arwady said Chicago is still set to move into Phase 1C on March 29. At that point, essential workers and anyone 16 and older with a qualifying medical condition will be eligible to get vaccinated against coronavirus. That means most of the city will be allowed to set up an appointment, she said.
But Arwady said the city won’t have enough doses for all those people.
The federal government is expected to ramp up its supply of doses to Chicago in April and May, and many people will be vaccinated during those months — particularly May, Arwady said.
Previously, Arwady said she’s pushing for the state to send more doses to Chicago and the surrounding area since 35-40 percent of the city’s doses have gone to non-residents. She said rural areas in the state are currently more vaccinated than parts of Chicago.
In comparison, about 21 percent of Chicago residents who have been vaccinated got their shot outside the city.
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