Our Chicago: Voices of the Community town hall on COVID-19 vaccine concerns in communities of color, hosted by Cheryl Burton

CHICAGO (WLS) -- ABC 7, Chicago's Number One station for news, presented a virtual town hall examining the latest developments in the Covid-19 vaccine, the plan for distribution to high risk communities in Chicago, and efforts to mitigate vaccine safety concerns. ABC 7 Anchor/Reporter Cheryl Burton moderated this hour-long event, OUR CHICAGO: VOICES OF THE COMMUNITY available on abc7chicago.com Thursday, December 10 at 2:00 PM.

Black and Brown communities have suffered the most cases and deaths from the Coronavirus, as they make up the majority of essential workers and often don't have access to quality healthcare services. Cheryl Burton led an important discussion on what plans are in place for administering vaccines to the communities at highest risk.

She will also examined the reluctance of many in the Black community to take the vaccine based upon longstanding fears resulting from the Tuskegee Experiment and the cell harvesting performed upon Henrietta Lacks. How will the medical and faith community effectively communicate messaging to allay those concerns and encourage getting vaccinated? Also, what are the ethical issues if a company or institution attempts to mandate that employees get the vaccine?

Guest panelists:

- Dr. Richard Novak, Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UI Health

- State Rep. Lamont J. Robinson, Illinois 5th House District

- Dr. Suzet McKinney, CEO & Executive Director, Illinois Medical District

- Esther Corpuz, CEO, Alivio Medical Center

- Dr. Bishop Horace E. Smith, Pastor, Apostolic Faith Church

- Dr. Monica Peek, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine

The virtual town hall was exclusively streamed live on ABC 7's Facebook Live, YouTube, ABC 7's app, and ABC 7's connected TV apps on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Roku.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abc7chicago

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abc7Chicago/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abc7Chicago/

PREVIOUS TOWN HALLS:

Our Chicago: Voices of the Community on Asian American harassment and bystander intervention, moderated by Ravi Baichawl

Our Chicago: Voices of the Community: Significance of Kamala Harris' election to vice president-elect; Cheryl Burton moderates

ABC 7 Chicago hosts digital town hall to recognize Native American Heritage Month; Leah Hope moderates

ABC 7 Chicago hosts digital town hall to explore expectations for office holders after upcoming election

ABC 7 Chicago hosts digital town hall on bullying prevention moderated by Karen Jordan

ABC 7 Chicago presents: Do You Hear Me? A discussion highlighting journey of prominent Latino communities in Chicago hosted by Stacey Baca

ABC 7 Chicago presents: Do You Hear Me? A Conversation about Latinos and the 2020 Census hosted by Rob Elgas

ABC 7 Chicago presents: Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race, a virtual town hall with Windy City Live's Val Warner

ABC 7 Chicago presents: Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race, a virtual town hall with ABC 7's Evelyn Holmes

ABC 7 Chicago presents: Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on August 13 with ABC 7's Evelyn Holmes

ABC 7 Chicago presents: Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race, a virtual town hall with Windy City Live's Val Warner

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on August 6, 2020: Hosted by Samantha Chatman, on mental health in the Black community

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 23, 2020: Hosted by WCL's Val Warner, on race and education during COVID-19

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 23, 2020: Hosted by Jim Rose, on race and racism in sports

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 16, 2020: Hosted by Cheryl Burton, on violence

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 9, 2020: Hosted by Samantha Chatman, on Black Greek letter organizations

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 2, 2020: Hosted by Hosea Sanders, on summer festivals

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on June 25, 2020: Hostel by Terrell Brown and Leah Hope, on racism in public education

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on June 18, 2020: Hosted by Evelyn Holmes and Will Jones,on youth movements

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on June 11, 2020: Hosted by Karen Jordan and Hosea Sanders, on organizational social change

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on June 4, 2020: Hosted by Cheryl Burton, on the aftermath of George Floyd's death

About ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago

ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago is the No. 1 local news source and most-watched television station in Chicago. With top-rated daily newscasts spanning decades and the largest social media presence in the market with more than 2.3 million Facebook followers, ABC7 Eyewitness News provides breaking news, investigative reporting, weather, politics, traffic and sports in the multiplatform space to Chicago, the suburbs and northwest Indiana. Named Best News Operation by the Associated Press for four consecutive years, the station produces 41 hours of local news weekly and Chicago's only local weekday entertainment talk show, "Windy City LIVE," as well as its highest-rated New Year's Eve special. ABC7's award-winning programs such as "Heart and Soul," "The Ñ Beat" and "Asian Influences" showcase the city's diversity, while being the only Chicago station producing and broadcasting parades representing Chicago's rich cultural history. In addition to producing town halls focused on current social issues, the station has a long and proud tradition of broadcasting political candidate debates keeping Chicago's electorate informed. ABC7's outreach efforts include annual partnerships with the Red Cross for life-saving blood drives and, most recently, spearheading an effort to raise more than $1.5 million for area food pantries.