THERE.

I LOVE MAJANI RESTAURANT, IT IS

A GREAT PLACE.

>> COVID CASES AND

HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE SURGING

DOCTORS BELIEVE THAT IS DUE TO

THE DELTA VARIANT IT'S EXPECTED

ILLINOIS WILL SEE MORE CASES OF

THE OMICRON VARIANT AS WELL.

OUR AMANDA VINICKY SPOKE WITH A

KEY WHITE HOUSE ADVISER ABOUT

HOW THE NATION IS READY TO

TACKLE IT WITH AN EYE TOWARD

EQUITY.

AMANDA JOINS US NOW WITH THE

RUNDOWN.

>> PARIS IT BECAME CLEAR EARLY

IN THE PANDEMIC THAT BLACK AND

BROWN POPULATIONS WERE

DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY

THE CORONAVIRUS.

Dr. CAMERON WEBB SAW THAT PLAY

OUT IN VIRGINIA AND THAT HAS

INFORMED HIS ROLE AS SENIOR

POLICY ADVISER TO THE WHITE

HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE TEAM.

>> I THINK THAT THE PROGRESS YOU

KNOW, FOR A LOT OF GROUPS IS

THERE.

IF YOU LOOK NATIONALLY THE RATE

OF CASES, THE RATE OF

HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS ALL

MUCH IMPROVED IN COMMUNITIES OF

COLOR AND RELATIVE TO WHITE

AMERICANS.

SO WE'VE SEEN STRONG IMPROVEMENT

AND WE OWE A LOT OF THAT TO THE

VACCINATION EFFORT AND IF YOU

LOOK AT VACCINE SPECIFICALLY

AMONG ADULTS C.D.C. PUTS OUT A

SURVEY EVERY WEEK TO GET A SENSE

WHERE WE ARE WITH THE

VACCINATION EFFORT AND THE RATES

OF VACCINATION AMONG ADULTS ARE

EQUIVALENT BETWEEN BLACK, WHITE

AND LATINO ADULTS.

THAT IS GOOD NEWS IT TELLS US

THAT EQUITY CONTRARY TO WHAT

SOME BELIEVE IT IS NOT AN

ASPIRATION IT'S SOMETHING YOU

CAN ACHIEVE IF YOU CENTER IT.

>> LIKE RECOGNIZING HISTORICAL

AND DYNAMICS OF COMMUNITIES IN

KEEPING THAT AS A PRIORITY.

ALSO, AGAIN, KEY PART OF THAT

OUTREACH, THE COVID VACCINE SAT

LAY WILL MARK ONE YEAR SINCE THE

F.D.A. GAVE EMERGENCY USE

AUTHORIZATION TO THE FIRST

PFIZER COVID-19 VACCINE FOR

ADULT USE.

BLUT BUT BLACK AND BROWN

INDIVIDUALS ARE FALLING BEHIND

IN ILLINOIS WHEN IT COMES TO

GETTING THE BOOSTER SHOT THAT

DOCTORS BELIEVE WILL GIVE EXTRA

PROTECTION AGAINST THE OMICRON

VARIANT.

Dr. WEBB SAID GIVE IT TIME

THAT BOOSTER EFFORT IS

RELATIVELY NEW.

>> KEEP IN MIND THE ORIGINAL

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BOOSTERS

WERE FOCUSED ON THE OVER 65

POPULATION AND FOLKS WITH RISK.

THERE ARE DEMOGRAPHIC

DIFFERENCE.

THE C.D.C.'S RECOMMENDATION

ABOUT A WEEK-AND-A-HALF AGO

SAYING ALL ADULTS SHOULD GET

BOOSTERS, THAT IS WHEN YOU START

THAT CONVERSATION AROUND HOW CAN

WE MAKE SURE THAT ALL ADULTS ARE

GETTING THE BOOSTERS.

AND WE'RE WORKING OVERTIME TO

MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS.

WORKING WITH COMMUNITY, FAITH,

AND PARTNERS ON THE GROUND IN

COMMUNITIES.

THE KEY IS MAKING SURE KNOW WHY

THAT SCIENTIFIC RECOMMENDATION

WAS MADE AND WHERE THEY CAN GO

TO GET THEIR BOOSTERS.

>> AS OF TODAY, THE C.D.C.

RECOMMENDING THAT 16 AND

17-YEAR-OLDS ALSO GET THAT

BOOSTER SHOT.

THE WHITE HOUSE'S NEXT STEPS FOR

BATTLING COVID CALL FOR RAPID

RESPONSE TEAMS WITH RISING CASES

SUPPLYING TREATMENT PILLS ONE

THAT IS AVAILABLE, AND MORE

RAPID AT HOME TESTING.

>> YOUR ABILITY TO KNOW IF YOUR

STUFFY NOSE IS A COLD THAT YOU

TEND TO HAVE EVERY DECEMBER OR

IS COVID THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE

R DIFFERENCE FOR YOUR WORKPLACE

FOR YOUR KID'S SCHOOL AND YOUR

COMMUNITY.

TESTING IS A KEY PART OF THE

EQUATION HERE.

>> AT HOME TESTS IF YOU CAN GET

ONE, ARE ABOUT $20 EACH.

AND THAT'S UNAFFORDABLE FOR SOME

LEAVING FREE TESTING SITES THAT

MAY BE INCONVENIENT OR HAVE A

LONGER TURN AROUND TIME AS THE

ALTERNATIVE.

THE WHITE HOUSE PLANNED TO

DISTRIBUTE MILLIONS OF AT HOME

TESTS TO COMMUNITY SITES AND

MAKING IT THOSE WITH INSURANCE

WILL BE ABLE TO GET REIMBURSED

FOR BUYING AT HOME TESTS.

CRITICS SAY IT'S NOT ENOUGH

NOTING THAT REIMBURSEMENT IS

COMPLICATED.

>> THERE IS NO ONE SINGLE WAY

THAT IS GOING TO WORK FOR

EVERYBODY.

FOR A LOT OF AMERICANS

PARTICULARLY FOR FOLKS WHO BEEN

THE HARDEST HIT FOR THEM IT'S

THE ABILITY TO GET THE FREE

TESTS FROM THE LIBRARY OR A FOOD

BANK OR FEDERALLY QUALIFIED

HEALTH CENTER.

WHEN YOU PUT THESE TOGETHER, YOU

HAVE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES TO

REACH DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

AND SO I THINK WE KNOW THAT AT

THE END OF THE DAY WE WANT TO

MAKE SURE IT'S WIDELY AVAILABLE.

>> AND THAT IS THE NATIONAL

FRONT TAKING IT BACK LOCALLY,

WEBB IS IN THE WASHINGTON D.C.

AREA.

BUT HE DID SPEND SEVERAL YEARS

IN CHICAGO WHEN HE WENT TO LAW

SCHOOL AT LOYOLA, HE IS BOTH A

DOCTOR AND A LAWYER.

>> CHICAGO THERE ARE A LOT OF

AMAZING LEADERS AND AMAZING

MEDICAL CENTERS AND WE THEY ARE

SERVING DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE

COMMUNITY ALL THE TIME.

THE KEY IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF

THOSE RESOURCES THAT YOU HAVE,

AND CONNECTED IT WITH COMMUNITY.

I'VE SEEN IN MY TIME IN CHICAGO

SOME INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY-BASED

INITIATIVES.

BARBERSHOP INITIATIVES AND

PHYSICIANS LIKE Dr. FISHER AT

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

CONNECTED WITH THAT COMMUNITY

WORK.

GREAT WORK R FOLKS ARE DOING

GREAT WORK ON THE GROUND EFFORT

WILL BE A KEY TO THE EFFORTS TO

ADDRESS SOME OF THE DISPARITIES

THAT WE'RE SEEING WITH REGARD TO

COVID.

>> NOW, BEFORE I'M DONE, A

COUPLE NOTES ON COVID.

SATURDAY WILL MARK TWO WEEKS

UNTIL CHRISTMAS AND CHICAGO

PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSIONER Dr.

ALLISON ARWADY SAYS THAT THAT

MAKES IT A REALLY GOOD TIME IF

YOU ARE TO GET THE SHOT WHETHER

IT'S THE BOOSTER OR MAYBE YOU

WANT TO BE FULLY VACCINATED

BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS AND IT'S TWO

WEEKS TO GET THAT J & J VACCINE.

SATURDAY IS A DEADLINE.

AND SAYS THAT IF YOU ARE

VACCINATED BUT GET WHAT IS COME

TO BE KNOWN AS A BREAKTHROUGH

CASE OF COVID THERE'S NO NEED TO

WAIT TO GET THE BOOSTER SHOT.

IF YOU HAVE COVID YOU NEED TO

STAY AT HOME THAT ISOLATION

PERIOD OF AT LEAST 10 DAYS AND

AFTER THAT AS SOON AS YOU CAN

SHE RECOMMENDS GETTING A BOOSTER