City wants 77% of eligible residents to start shots by end of year in new COVID vaccine initiative
Mayor Lightfoot, CDPH commissioner announced Protect Chicago 77 in Englewood
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago officials announced a new COVID vaccine initiative Thursday morning on the South Side.
The Protect Chicago 77 Initiative seeks to ensure at least 77% of city residents ages 12 and up start their COVID vaccination series by the end of the year, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in Englewood Thursday.
The citywide community engagement campaign asks Chicagoans to take the Protect Chicago 77 pledge, promising to do their part to Protect Chicago and help the city recover from the pandemic.
"Getting vaccinated remains the best way to be protected against COVID-19 and its variants, and to protect your loved ones and community," Lightfoot said.
Currently, more than 1.6 million - or 72.4% - of Chicagoans age 12 and up have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, city officials said.
Protect Chicago 77 is designed to engage people in all of the city's 77 designated community areas to get vaccinated and encourage others to do so.
"We're all in this together, and when one area of the city falls behind on vaccination it impacts all of us," Arwady said.
The initiative also seeks to bring on more community partners to meet its goal.
It will include videos offering tips to help individuals talk to their friends and family about the vaccine, weekly updates on progress at Chicago.gov/covidvax and more, city officials said.
As city officials discussed Chicago's vaccination progress Thursday morning, the White House announced President Joe Biden will visit Chicago next Wednesday to "highlight the importance of COVID-19 vaccine requirements for businesses."
