COVID-19 Vaccine: With Distribution Soon To Begin For Frontline Health Care Workers, Push Launched In Chicago To Reassure Public It Is Safe
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was one day out from distribution late Saturday, and Chicago is slated to get 23,000 doses to start.
Frontline workers are eager to get the shots – some of them as early as Monday. Late Saturday, CBS 2's Steven Graves spoke to community leaders anxiously awaiting their turn.
We know doctors and nurses are ready. And while it is unclear when the vaccine will get to the general public, there is groundwork happening now to make sure people understand the treatment.
On Saturday, Chicago-based United Airlines confirmed it is the first commercial airline to fly the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The company joined FedEx and UPS in the massive distribution of roughly 3 million doses nationwide.
Health care workers and the elderly are first in line. Doctors in and around Chicago will get the vaccine as soon as Monday or Tuesday.
Health professionals continue to praise the science and speediness behind the vaccine. On Saturday, they reassured the public it is safe.
"I will absolutely take this COVID-19 vaccine, pending availability and distribution, because I have complete trust and confidence in the FDA's career staff's evaluation," said Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn.
"A lot of people have been skeptical about the vaccine," said Enrique Mendoza, who works at a nonprofit in Chicago educating people on the Southwest Side about the vaccine.
His own mom is on that list.
"At this time, she feels like she really doesn't want to take it," said Mendoza, vice president of The Southwest Collective.
His family and the heavily Latinx community he lives in remain devastated by COVID. The local ZIP code has one of the highest case counts in the city.
"We don't have a lot of health care infrastructure," Mendoza said. "Health literacy is something that's not that common, so it's really about building that up and building that trust in the community."
Hi group plans to give out health care fact sheets from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Education efforts even prompted Mayor Lori Lightfoot to take to Twitter Saturday. She posted emotional video imploring Chicagoans to trust science.
"I will get it, and I hope and encourage you all to do likewise," said nurse Rhodelyn Bedford of Stroger Hospital of Cook County.
Currently, the city has a web page dedicated strictly to education. But masking and social distancing remain the suggestion for the near-term future.
It is also recommended that people with significant allergies talk to their doctor before taking the vaccine.
The City of Chicago plans to monitor people's side effects through text message.
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