COVID-19 Vaccine

On December 15th 2020, The Loretto Hospital administered the first COVID-19 vaccines in the city of Chicago. This is a historic day for our hospital and our city. Five individuals, including three Loretto Hospital employees, received the vaccine. Today was another step forward in our commitment to mitigating health disparities in the Austin community.

In our auditorium, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, The Loretto Hospital President and CEO George Miller, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Alison Arwady, and others addressed the Chicago community. We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to Mayor Lightfoot and Dr. Arwady.

The Loretto Hospital and our colleagues at safety net hospitals across the city have been on the frontline of the fight against COVID-19 since day one. We are aware that the Black and Latinx communities we serve have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, with a death rate more than 60 percent higher than Chicago as a whole. With this in mind, we are committed to doing what’s best for our community.

While we understand the history behind our community’s skepticism surrounding this vaccine, we are confident in its safety and its necessity in achieving herd immunity within our community. In an effort to increase the reach of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, The Loretto Hospital is The Loretto Hospital is currently conducting four separate COVID-19 treatment trials in tandem with major biopharmaceutical company partners along with three separate COVID vaccine trials, designed to ensure the inclusion of Black and Latino participants in these studies beginning in January of 2021.

We are following the FDA guidelines and administering the COVID-19 vaccine to our front-line workers at The Loretto Hospital. The city allocates a limited amount of tests based on categories, the first of which is frontline healthcare workers. We are looking forward to the time when we will be able to vaccinate our entire community.

As stated before, the Loretto Hospital is currently taking part in COVID-19 vaccine trials. Participants will be able to receive a vaccine, be compensated and will receive free healthcare for up to two years, regardless of insurance status, including medical examinations by Board certified physicians and bloodwork. They are free to opt out of the study at any point. If you are interested in learning more, you can follow this link: https://affinityhealthcorp.com/covid-19-vaccine/

Despite the arrival of this vaccine, it is still imperative to follow the steps necessary to reduce the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19: wear a mask, wash your hands, social distance. We also offer free COVID-19 testing in front of The Loretto Hospital every weekday from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

For any media inquiries regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, please contact Bonni Pear at 312.565.0044 ext. 1105 or bpear@agencyinmotion.com.