By: Mark Glennon*
When first announced, it seemed sensibly intended.
The mass vaccination site at United Center in Chicago would be easily accessible to low income and minority populations, helping fix disparities in their healthcare and vaccination numbers.
And the site would address the inexcusably frustrating system for getting a vaccination appointment, which penalizes senior citizens in particular. “We need to make this a game-changing moment for our seniors,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in February. Gov. JB Pritzker also said those over 65 would be prioritized at the site. That made sense because seniors still account for the vast majority of COVID deaths but are getting less than half of the vaccinations – 88% of the deaths, but just 44% of the vaccines over the last 30 days.
So it should have come as no surprise when an overwhelming number of sign-ups at the center came from outside of Chicago, no doubt driven largely by frustrated seniors from elsewhere. Forty percent of initial sign-ups were Chicagoans, and the rest were from outside the city, which is about what you’d expect. But that went against the “equity” goals for the site, according to Lightfoot and FEMA, the federal agency sponsoring the program.
And now the site has degenerated into the same frustrating, chaotic mess as the rest of the vaccination rollout, this time running under the banner of “equity.”
Only an hour before the center was to begin making appointments, eligibility was cut back to Chicago residents only, with special preference going to certain areas.
But you might well not know that if you’ve been searching frantically to sign up. Go to the city’s website, as many no doubt have, and you will see that it’s not at all clear that reservations are for Chicagoans only. And another posting still live on the site as of March 9 says, “All Illinoisans Eligible in State’s Phase 1B+ Can Make Appointments Beginning March 7 at 4 p.m.”
And you will find many news reports saying that, in fact, any Cook County resident can use the site, not just Chicagoans. Not true. Some capacity for those people will be added later, but they are not eligible now.
For eligible people trying to get an appointment, the whole chapter has been a huge waste of time because all available appointments are gone except for occasional openings from cancellations. In other words, it has become the same hit-or-miss system, mostly miss, that has plagued the roll-out across the state, wasting millions of hours by those looking for an appointment.
How many appointments have been booked? Hard to say because the folks in charge seem to have little idea. As reported by Crain’s, “Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said it was 110,000. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that number was actually 40,000. Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady had the final word: closer to 50,000.”
Suppose you are under 65 but still eligible for the vaccine, under state rules, because of an underlying health condition. You are not eligible for the vaccine at Chicago’s other sites that have more restrictive rules than the state, but you apparently are at United Center – assuming you can somehow eventually get an appointment. Why the differences? I have no idea. Maybe something to do with equity. “Equity has been the guiding light for the rollout,” Lightfoot said Sunday on Twitter.
Take a look at Mark Konkol’s latest column in The Patch for the very interesting background on the fight over who should be eligible for vaccination at the United Center, and how the story has changed. “Maybe you remember how the governor gleefully bragged the United Center vaccination site was in partnership with his administration,” Konkol wrote. “His tone changed in opening remarks at Tuesday’s news conference. The governor distanced himself from the effort, reading from a script that referred to the United Center as the ‘federal government’s community vaccination site.’”
United Center is just another chapter in the vaccine rollout, which has been a frightening display of incompetence at all levels of government. They had months to prepare for it. They knew a vaccine would be coming almost from the start of the pandemic. The software for a sensible appointment system would not have been difficult to deploy. There is no excuse.
UPDATE: And now, regardless of age and health, Chicagoans living in certain specified zip codes can get vaccinated at United Center.
*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
I thought that president I don’t know who I am had a plan better than no plan President Trump. Another lie from the drooling lipped dementia patient.
Pritzker and Lightfoot enough said!
These two are fools- Chicago and Illinois send them on their way next election and continue with the same!
Sorry – my frustration is just too much today. Iowa actually has their act together. They distribute through their healthcare hospital systems and the associated Physician groups are coordinating the sign up for elderly people using their medical data bases. My mom and mother in law in Iowa (both 87) received a call from her doctors office asking if she wanted a vaccine, she did, and they scheduled it for her. Both are complete and vaccinated. Here is Illinois…it is a fiasco of confusion, broken systems and corruption. At this time, in this situation…this is a horrible place to live.… Read more »
Blm rules Chicago and Illinois in the name of equity, otherwise known as open and blatant
discrimination against white people.
This is the same bungling that screwed up the marijuana stores. Tried for equity and the politically connected got it so they tried to change rules after the fact.
If you want to serve all communities in Chicago give it to the 50 different wards and let the aldermen hand it out. Probably cost you a $100 cash but would get to the communities equally. I guess short fat and stupid is not a way to go through life unless you are a governor.
Its failing because some are wringing their hands that distribution should be race based, blacks first.
One question, again Illinois Pritzker and lightfoot and the feds are splurging with taxpayers money with this United Center fiasco. Why, just why in the hell after spending millions of taxpayers money why did Pritzker and others decommission McCormick place, huge facility easily accessible via the interstates, plenty of parking and so on. And in a much safer area than the United center, again this shows the malfeasance and absolutely no leadership skills on the part of Pritzker but again it’s everybody else’s fault. 2022 everyone remember when it’s time to go to the polls please think before you punch… Read more »
easy,most of the ” bailout” money will go to public sector pensions
Agree, why create all this new bureaucracy to distribute a drug to as many as possible. Iowa did it with the existing methods by using drug stores and doctor offices. with a pandemic you simply want broad coverage of at least 60% of the population.
Democrat run- Would you expect anything less?
Equity is the belief life is fair, and it takes the government to force it.
Implementing Equity causes reduced generosity and more animosity.
The outcome of Equity is more division.
In a few years, Equity will reinstate the Separate but Equal Doctrine.
May God forgive us for we know not what we do.
Equity over equality in all aspects of society.
Progressively more authoritarian leftist administrative rules and laws including redistribution of wealth, nationwide.
Moving to another state will escape some but not all of the onslaught, as the Federal government, private sector, non-profit sector, and cells in all state governments are like minded.
It’s The Culture Wars.
Why is mass human migration over the southern border not a hysterical super spreader event, yet citizens are forbidden from having a party, eating in a restaurant, or in-classroom learning?
How dare you question authority!
It’s past time that the Dictator face criminal charges for his unbelievable deadly bungling of the COVID response
The vaccine is coming from the federal government. American should have this.
Soon corruption will be the way in Illinois to receive the vaccine. Lightfoot lacks morals clearly. So does Pritzker.
Love Saves Lives
Carl Lambrecht
It already is. I know a few people that already got the vaccine with a wink wink nod nod deal. Yet my 94 year old neighbor lady who does not have a computer cannot get an appointment. Sat on the phone a whole day and nothing. Typical Illinois garbage.
I suspect all of the really skilled organizational types in our citizenry were hired up years ago by the “Air Team”. That is the group of personable geniuses who check your tail pipe emissions every couple of years.
Mark, You are so kind to Democrats. First of all NO they didn’t believe a vaccine (which these are not) would be available because they hated Donald Trump so greatly and believed they must continue that hate stream into 2021 and therefore missed the opportunity to schedule the National Guard as he said would be waiting in the wings to roll this out. Remember? No, there is no excuse but you are simply thinking these people are smart and work for a living and are not bureaucrats and actually like humanity. They do not. God bless you Mark but you’re… Read more »
Well, what about the gleeful bragging that that National Guard had this all under control months ago and President Trump had a plan. Why was his plan not followed? Did our state put up road blocks again as they did all last year in 2020 wanting to “prove” somehow that the administration was against people, Illinois, Pritzker and Democrats (poor people)? You can’t blame Republicans nor Trump now folks. You must shoulder this load all yourself and while you do it was pop popcorn sit back and watch you fools create more chaos in your backyards. Why? Because you haven’t… Read more »
Every day that passes in which someone “eligible” does not get a shot is another day I cannot get a shot. Every reservation slot that goes unfilled is a slap in the face to the rest of us towards the end of the line. Beyond insulting.
I’m all for equity, but it cannot come at the expense of efficiency. Either get those equity folks queued up right now or step aside and let the rest of us get our shots.
Haha, you’re missing the point. The purpose of equity is to kill you off quicker. You vote for the wrong party.
You know the truth. This “Equity” is not Equality, it’s making sure they level the playing field and take from those who have worked and give it to those who have sit on public aide and griped about being dealt a bad hand.
Many of those people receive more in benefits and housing than I have in my life and because I’m a white guy I have to work my butt off to get what I’ve gotten.
FUBAR as usual in this state, those of us who had always been designated as first in line, 1a & 1b are always last in line. It took our family almost 90 days to finally get an appt. for my 89 yr. old mother, sister-in-law finally scored one, Lord knows where. and my husband (73 with co-morbidities, & I (69) respectively, still can’t score one. And tell me this Gov. Putzker, why is there a scarcity of available vaccine in the North/Northwest suburbs??? Every time I look for an appt. I’m told there aren’t any within 25 miles of my… Read more »
Equity means killing off old white Republican voters.
When you look up Illinois in the dictionary there’s that word again, FUBAR!
I really believe that these people couldnt operate a street corner lemonade stand without screwing it up!-lemonade for 10 cents,no wait,12 cents,nope gonna be 15 cents plus taxes and fees,oh yea,on tues and thurs people of color get half price but on saturday and monday everyone gets 2 for 1 as long as its april 4th or may 29th-huh?-morons!
They are Democrats. They have no freaking idea how to run a business and YES they will screw up a simple lemonade stand and heaven help the 8 year old Republican girl who wants to open one up, they will tax the shit out of her work.
lol,thats hilarious!
The entire process is a f-ing joke. this state has spent more time writing the rules that they don’t follow, than they have in actually developing the tools needed to actually schedule and manage a vaccine deployment. The availability of appointments is so chaotic and random that there is no rhyme or reason to it. The directions to sign up are pointless because the retailers websites are overwhelmed. I have begun looking in Iowa and driving 5 hours west to try and get an appointment. I hear of people I know who have jumped the line and found the random… Read more »
I teach college. A number of my students and their friends and family members who meet no 1a or 1b requirements have been vaccinated at a number of west and south side churches and Latino community center while elderly can’t get appointments. This is encouraged and allowed by Lori and Arwady. Equity means discrimination against white seniors.
Elderly white voters vote Republican. JB doesn’t care about them.
This is a Fact.
JB cares for no one and nothing but himself. He’s rich baby.
No rich billionaires in Illinois care for the masses of “useless eaters”
as they call us.