Chicago Public Schools announced Wednesday that the district has accessed enough doses of the available COVID-19 vaccines to offer appointments or sign-ups to all 52,000 employees.
Teachers and other support staff have been eligible to receive the vaccine in Illinois for months now under both the city and state's Phase 1B.
CPS said Wednesday that about 41% of the district's employees had responded to a survey asking about if they had been vaccinated, had scheduled appointments or were not planning to get the vaccine.
Per that survey, CPS said about 14,000 of respondents, or roughly 30% of staff, had gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, with the district saying that the rate of response indicates that that figure is likely higher.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
District leaders said "supply issues" have been resolved and that they can now vaccinate all employees, with the understanding that CPS-run sites are not the only option, and staff can get vaccinated through a doctor, pharmacy or other available options as well.
Vaccinations were a key issue in negotiations between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union over returning to in-person learning in January and February.
In the agreement reached in February, the district said it agreed to administer vaccinations to 1,500 employees per week out of the city's supply at CPS' vaccination sites, and noted that staff at the city's 15 communities most impacted by COVID-19 may be eligible to be vaccinated through the city's "Protect Chicago Plus" initiative.
Local
The city said Wednesday that that 1,500 first-dose commitment as well as additional second doses would continue to take place.
At an event at Roosevelt High School in the Albany Park neighborhood, one of the district's vaccination sites, CPS CEO Dr. Janice Jackson credited city and state partners as well as President Joe Biden for the uptick in supply.
“I am extremely grateful to the Biden Administration who has greatly increased the availability of vaccines and our state and local health officials who have prioritized teachers and school-based staff,” Jackson said.
