Chicago aims to offer all adults free Covid-19 vaccine in 2021

CHICAGO (BLOOMBERG) - Chicago expects to get thousands of coronavirus vaccine doses this month and is aiming to offer them free of charge to all adult residents in 2021, city officials said Wednesday (Dec 9).

After Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc receive emergency federal approvals and the city gets guidance from an immunisation advisory committee, Chicago can move forward with its vaccine rollout plan.

The city will allocate its initial doses to its 34 hospitals the week of Dec 14, officials said in a press release on Wednesday.

Healthcare workers who treat Covid patients or conduct procedures that put them at high risk for spread will be the first to receive the vaccine. Chicago has about 400,000 health workers including doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff.

Employees and workers at long-term care facilities will be the next recipients, followed by essential workers, people with underlying medical conditions and those 65 years and older.

Chicago expects to receive about 23,000 doses of Pfizer's vaccine in the first week after federal approval and could get as many as 150,000 doses of Moderna's during December, according Dr Allison Arwady, commissioner of the city's public health department.

After the federal approvals go through, weekly shipments will continue and the early vaccinations will require two doses, she told reporters on Wednesday.

"The situation is very fluid as we don't know how many we'll be getting from week to week, and that will require us to be nimble in how we respond," Dr Arwady said in a statement.

"Since the beginning of the pandemic we have been working with healthcare and community partners on plans to quickly distribute a large amount of the vaccine. This will allow Chicago to start with as much vaccine as possible and continually increase the supply in the weeks and months to follow."

The US Food and Drug Administration will hold a meeting on a vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and its partner BioNTech SE Thursday and the agency could clear the shot shortly after the meeting but the timing is unclear.

A meeting for Moderna Inc's vaccine is set a week later. After the FDA approval, the city also awaits recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices.

Chicago's vaccination plan has been underway for months, Dr Arwady said. While officials expect needles and other materials will be sent by the federal government, the city has its own supplies too.

Chicago has increased vaccine storage capacity, has identified clinics that can help, and will lean on logistics already in place for flu season, she said. As more vaccine doses arrive, doctors' offices, pharmacies, hospitals and federally-qualified health centres will be part of the rollout campaign.

The federal government is sending vaccines to Chicago free of charge, and the residents will not have to pay for doses either, according to the city. Still, Chicago will shoulder additional costs for dispensing the vaccine, with some covered by current federal aid allocated for Covid-19 expenses, Dr Arwady said. The city is hoping for additional federal aid for these costs as well, she said.

Dr Arwady acknowledged skepticism surrounding the vaccine in certain groups given a history of structural racism, particularly the Black community, which is less likely to get the flu vaccine. The city is working with community partners to build trust and is prioritising long-term care facilities in part because they have been severely impacted and a large portion of their residents and staff are Black, she said.

The focus is to provide access and gain acceptance for the vaccine, Dr Arwady said.

"We look forward to working with our citywide partners to ensure the distribution process is executed as efficiently and safely as possible through an equity lens," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement.

Ms Lightfoot also warned that widespread distribution of the vaccine to residents is months away. The city has seen a recent uptick in cases with a test positivity rate of 13.3 per cent, according to Dr Arwady, and residents must continue to adhere to public health guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus.