Chicago officials say they will not abandon Austin residents after pausing vaccine partnership with Loretto Hospital
After reports of Loretto Hospital leadership improperly administering vaccinations to Trump Tower employees ahead of those eligible in the city’s current phase 1B+, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said today that officials are investigating the details of the “breach.”
“It was disappointing to see a provider that was obviously in a high-need part of the city from a vaccination standpoint be using vaccines for people who were not eligible and not working to prioritize vaccinations for its own patients and community,” Arwady said during a conference call with various media outlets including The TRiiBE.
Today, Loretto Hospital’s board said that it would be disciplining hospital executives CEO George Miller and COO Dr. Anosh Ahmed. Ahmed is the hospital official tied to the vaccination event at Trump Tower earlier this month.
According to a March 19 Block Club Chicago report, Miller administered over 200 shots to members of his South Suburban Church, Valley Kingdom Ministries International at an event in late February. Miller is a member of the church and is close friends with the church’s pastor, H. Daniel Wilson.
Under the city’s current vaccination rollout phase 1B+, all essential frontline workers and residents between 16 and 64 with underlying conditions are eligible to get the vaccine. During this phase, the city continues to prioritize vaccinating all Chicagoans age 65 and over.
Hotel workers are eligible for vaccination under 1C, which doesn’t begin until March 29.
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Newly eligible Chicagoans under phase 1C likely won’t be able to get the vaccine in arm until April or May due to limited vaccine supply.
“The biggest concern here was that they were vaccinating people who were not eligible, Arwady said about Loretto Hospital leadership. “That’s the biggest breach here, vaccinating people who were not eligible yet, and then adding to that, of course, is the larger concern that they have prioritized people who were well connected letting them jump the line.”
Because of this incident, Arwady said the city will not provide the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Loretto Hospital next week until an investigation into the matter is complete. Those who are scheduled to return to Loretto Hospital for their second dose are still able to do so.
Arwady reiterated that what happened with Loretto will not impact Austin residents’ ability to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Loretto is not the only vaccination site on the West Side, Arwady said.
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Austin residents can get the COVID-19 vaccine at two separate community sites starting March 12
Hospitals on Chicago’s West Side are partnering with the city to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Austin residents.
The city will keep distributing the vaccine to other community partners and healthcare providers as they are now in the community. Residents of Austin were also encouraged to apply for vaccination appointments at the United Center, which is currently prioritizing seniors.
Since March 12, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) has been collaborating with Loretto Hospital for its Protect Chicago Plus initiative, which brought a vaccination site to Amundsen Park.
It remains unclear how the incident at Loretto will impact the Amundsen Park vaccination site.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates.
