Durbin, Duckworth Applaud Announcement of Mass Community Vaccination Center in Chicago
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today applauded an announcement that the Biden Administration will dramatically increase access to COVID-19 vaccinations in Illinois by launching a community vaccination center (CVC) Federal Pilot Site in Chicago on March 10. The site, which will be located at the United Center, will have the capacity for 6,000 COVID-19 vaccinations a day.
“Getting vaccine shots into the arms of Americans will help break the back of this pandemic. This site in the City of Chicago, which Senator Duckworth and I have been working for, will help our most vulnerable communities get the protection they desperately need. I applaud Governor Pritzker, Cook County President Preckwinkle, and Mayor Lightfoot for working with us and the Biden Administration to make this site a reality. Help is on the way, Illinois,” said Durbin.
“This new mass community vaccination center is an important step in our efforts to overcome this pandemic, and it will help get shots in the arms of Illinoisans at a much higher rate, especially in the communities hit hardest by COVID-19,” Duckworth said. “Senator Durbin and I worked closely with the Biden Administration to help bring this center to Chicago, and I am also thankful for the support of Governor Pritzker, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Mayor Lightfoot in bringing this facility to Chicago.”
In January, Durbin and Duckworth secured $843 million through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for Illinois health departments to support vaccination and testing efforts. Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has obligated over $115 million and deployed almost 200 federal personnel to the State of Illinois to support vaccination operations statewide.
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