As next stage of vaccinations begins, Southland educators say they ‘just want the opportunity’ - Chicago Tribune

As the next stage of COVID-19 vaccination work progresses, Kimako Patterson hopes that her school district can actually get the vaccine.

Patterson, the head of the district, said that among the 425 staff in the 144 district of the Prairie Prairie Primary School, including 216 teachers, 275 expressed their willingness to receive the vaccine, but it is not clear when the vaccine can be used.

She said: "It's very frustrating." "We just want opportunities."

Patterson said the area serves 3,000 students in suburban areas including Country Club Hills, Hazel Peak and Markham, and there are several nurses in the area who can manage these shots.

She said: "We are ready."

As demand exceeds the supply of vaccines, and the vaccination work in Cook County and other areas has not yet been completed, people are concerned about the next step.

The leaders of mainly black suburbs also launched an education campaign, and they hope that as the vaccine becomes widely available, it will change people's views on the vaccine.

Phase 1a is still being carried out in some areas and includes vaccinating hospital staff and employees in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

In the upcoming 1b, people over 65 years old and a series of workers deemed essential including police, firefighters, educators, messengers, and grocery and drugstore employees are eligible for vaccination. vaccine.

According to data from the Cook County Department of Public Health, in the suburbs of Cook County, there are an estimated 645,000 people, including 375,000 residents over 65.

County opened

, And provides vaccines at 1645 S. Cottage Grove Ave. in Ford Heights and 13450 S. Kedzie Ave. in Robbins.

Those who meet the criteria need to arrange an appointment

Or call 833-308-1988 (working hours on weekdays are from 7 am to 7 pm).

Will county health officials establish an online registration form in the following locations?

Obtain a database of persons qualified under 1b. Those over 65 who do not have computer or Internet access can call the county's advanced service center at 815-723-9713.

At the Cook County Committee meeting on Tuesday, health officials said there was still a shortage of vaccine supplies, but hoped that the pipeline would be filled as soon as possible.

Israel Rocha, chief executive of the county’s public health department, said that the county “will not see sustained and stable supply for at least the next few weeks.”

He said: "We are waiting like everyone else."

Rachel Rubin, co-head of the health department, said that it is not clear whether the supply of vaccines is daily or weekly.

County officials said the plan also requires mobile strike teams to vaccinate homeless people, homeless people’s shelters, or low-wage workplaces. When the weather improves, the location of the forest reserve will watch the autonomous driving vaccination center.

County officials said that the focus of vaccination will be on underserved communities, especially brown and black communities, which have seen large numbers of people infected with the virus and even died.

District 6 County Magistrate Donna Miller, who attended the meeting, said that by the end of 2020, the death toll in her area will be the sum of COVID-19, with 1,100 of them, and about 38% of them are black or Hispanic residents. .

She said after the meeting: "We cannot distribute unfair vaccines."

Officials say that in black and brown communities, ethnic differences in long-term lack of access to medical services have led to distrust of the vaccine, which is an obstacle that must be overcome.

The results of a poll released in December by the Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Research Center of the University of Chicago showed that 24% of black respondents planned to receive the vaccine, 34% of Hispanics, and 53% of white respondents.

Miller said: "Vaccine hesitation is very worrying. This is a problem in black and brown communities."

But in all races, people’s distrust of this vaccine is obvious, and many people are worried about this rapid development.

Miller, who has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 25 years, said that although it is considered urgent work, the vaccine has been fully tested.

She said: "When people think it's anxious, it's not really anxious."

Also added to

This is commonly referred to as the "Tuskegee experiment".

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it started in 1932 and lasted until 1972. At that time, the US Public Health Service called "Tuskegee's study of untreated syphilis in black blacks", involving 600 blacks, of whom 399 There is syphilis.

The CDC said the researchers told them that they were being treated for "bad blood," a term used to describe a variety of diseases, including syphilis, anemia and fatigue. The CDC stated that even in the presence of penicillin, patients with syphilis have never received proper disease treatment.

Filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of the study participants and their families, and reached an out-of-court settlement agreement in 1974, amounting to US$10 million. According to the agreement, the federal government promised to provide life-long medical benefits and funeral services for all living participants. To CDC.

The reason for the fear that blacks may be considered experimental subjects again is that Dennis Deere (D-2nd), chairman of the County Health and Hospital Committee, often tries to reduce stress.

Deere cited Tuskegee's research when the Tinley Park vaccination facility opened, emphasizing that "it's not like that."

Rubin said that health care officials “must take these concerns to heart” when trying to change the brown and black communities’ perception of the vaccine.

She said: "It is safe and effective and can save lives."

Rocha pointed out that the number of healthcare professionals receiving medical injections includes doctors and nurses.

He said: "They are voting in their arms."

The mayors of suburbs with large black populations such as Matteson and Robbins are also launching education campaigns.

Mayor Sheila Chalmers-Currin of Mattson City and Mayor Tyrone Ward of Robbins said they plan to shoot a video during the vaccination and will broadcast it on the community access channel in their village.

Ward said: "We are working hard to encourage (residents) and educate them to get rid of fear and doubt."

Chalmers-Currin said she believes this is a problem of distributing good information to cover the fog.

She said: "When individuals get the right information and the right information," they are more likely to agree to the vaccine. "In order for us to eradicate this virus, people need to be vaccinated."

At the county committee meeting, D-5 county commissioner Deborah Sims, including Southern Suburbs, said that despite her fear of needles, she still plans to get vaccinated.

"I will definitely take this picture. Everyone should accept it," she said.

One of the proposed plans is for high schools in the southern and southwestern suburbs to serve as central vaccination sites for their staff and staff in the feeder area.

These details are still being worked out, and all regions hope to make a difference, at least to get their staff vaccinated.

Bremen High School District 228 has schools in Country Club Hill, Midlothian and Oak Grove. A spokesperson for the district said that Bremen High School District 228 is expected to receive about 700 doses of vaccines in late February and will only be used for employees. Vaccination was carried out, and the number was about 800.

Kirby Elementary District 140 in Tinley Park said that more than 84% of employees are willing to get vaccinated, and the district expects to start vaccinating in the next few weeks.

Sheriff James Gay (James Gay) said that high school 230 district has schools in Oran Park, Palos Mountain and Tinley Park, and is currently working to ensure the injection dose. About 85% of the staff said they want this. vaccine.

He said that his school district and other regional school districts are working hard to establish vaccination sites to provide services for staff in multiple schools, but the specific locations and other details are still being worked out.

Orland 135 Elementary School District announced that it will work with a parent of Meadow Ridge School, a Jewel pharmacist, to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to regional employees and gradually allocate it based on availability.

Patterson said that about 1,100 students in the area have returned to classrooms, and the area has invested heavily in maintaining safe work areas, although some teachers are working remotely for health reasons.

She said that in early January after the holiday, the school district tested about 1,000 students and staff for the coronavirus, and only one test was positive.

She said that the school district used $1.3 million in federal COVID-19 stimulus funds last year, installed air purifiers and masks in the school district’s buildings, and provided students with laptops, tablets, and in the absence of good Internet access. Wi-Fi hotspots are provided in the case, she said.

"We have done everything possible to ensure safety," Patterson said.

connection

Forum Publishing

Company Information

Copyright © 2021, Chicago Tribune