April 16, 2021

Duckworth Hosts Virtual Town Hall on COVID-19 Vaccine Safety and Distribution

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) hosted a virtual town hall tonight to discuss COVID-19 vaccine distribution, safety and access in Illinois. Duckworth was joined by Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Illinois Pharmacists Association Director Garth Reynolds and Illinois Primary Healthcare Association President Cyrus Winnett. The group answered questions from Illinoisans on the importance of COVID-19 vaccines and several other issues. This discussion was livestreamed on Senator Duckworth’s Facebook page.

“Making sure as many Illinoisans as possible are vaccinated is one of the most important things we can do to get to the other side of this public health crisis,” Duckworth said. “I’ll keep working alongside state and local health officials to help ensure they have federal support for the resources necessary to efficiently and equitably vaccinate Illinoisans, especially those from hard-hit communities, as we continue making progress in overcoming this deadly virus.”

Earlier this month, Senator Duckworth joined Senator Durbin in announcing that 45 Community Health Centers (CHCs) throughout Illinois will receive a total of $270 million in American Rescue Plan funding to support COVID-19 vaccination and health services for at-risk populations in urban and rural parts of the state. Last month, they announced the expansion of Illinois CHCs that will be eligible to directly receive vaccines through the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Federally Qualified Health Center Program for COVID-19 Vaccination. 

-30-