Underwood, Casten, Foster Get Coronavirus Vaccines Amid 1st Wave

AURORA, IL — Aurora’s three representatives in the U.S. House were among the first wave of people to get the coronavirus vaccine after its recent approval for distribution across the country.

The first doses of the vaccines are being limited to health care workers and residents of long-term-care facilities in most cases, but members of Congress, including Aurora-area Reps. Lauren Underwood, Sean Casten and Bill Foster, started receiving vaccines Friday under federal “continuity of government” provisions.

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"Senior officials across all three branches of government will receive vaccinations pursuant to continuity of government protocols established in executive policy," National Security Council spokesperson John Ulyot said. "The American people should have confidence that they are receiving the same safe and effective vaccine as senior officials of the United States government on the advice of public health professionals and national security leadership."

Underwood, of Naperville, filmed her coronavirus vaccination Friday, which she posted on Twitter alongside a message urging her constituents to receive a “safe and effective” vaccine as soon as it is made available to them.

“I am urging all of my loved ones to get the vaccine at their first opportunity, and I urge you to do the same,” Underwood wrote on Twitter. “Controlling the virus is the best way to start recovering the economy and build a better future.”

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Casten, of Downers Grove, also called on Illinois residents to get vaccinated as soon as possible after receiving his first dose last week.

“I am pleased to be able to help slow, and ultimately stop the spread of this disease,” Casten said, telling residents they “must remain vigilant” though “the light is now visible at the end of the tunnel” thanks to approved vaccines.

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“Whether you are a frontline worker, a young high school student, a remote IT employee, or a senior in a nursing home, I urge you to make sure that you get vaccinated as soon as you are eligible,” Casten said.

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After receiving his first shot last week, Foster, of Naperville, paid tribute to scientists and medical researchers “who have been working around the clock” since the start of the coronavirus pandemic to develop a vaccine.

“Thanks to their efforts, combined with decades of sustained federal investment in medical and scientific research, we have a weapon to defeat this virus,” Foster said.

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The first Illinois health care workers were vaccinated against the coronavirus last week as drugmaker Pfizer started to ship its new vaccine across the country. A coronavirus vaccine made by Moderna is expected to arrive in Illinois this week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said.

Hundreds of thousands of doses are expected to be available to Illinoisans by March, with more than 750,000 health workers and long-term-care facility residents to be vaccinated first.

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“Essential workers," who may include teachers, police, firefighters and others, are expected to be next in line for the coronavirus vaccine, followed by adults 65 years and older and those with high-risk medical conditions.

The plan’s details are still being finalized, and health departments may need to further prioritize within each of those groups due to a limited amount of the vaccines, but Illinois officials say they will follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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