Buffalo Grove Village President Beverly Sussman showed herself getting the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month, hoping, she said, others in the community will follow her lead.
“The reason I went public about my vaccination was to encourage all of our residents to educate themselves and do the same,” Sussman said. “This vaccine provides hope that we will be able to combat the disease and resume our normal lives with family and friends. I want Buffalo Grove to be able to continue with all of the activities that make it a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
Sussman said she received the first of the two-dose Pfizer pharmaceutical vaccine at Family Medicine Specialists in Wauconda. She said the experience “went very well.”
In March, it will be a year since the novel coronavirus global pandemic led to widespread closures of schools, restaurants, public buildings and more, impacting many lives and mounting a death toll that now has reached more than 500,000 in the U.S. alone.
Sussman said she hopes the vaccinations will bring life back to normal.
“I haven’t hugged or kissed my children and grandchildren in almost one year,” Sussman said. “We exist with ZOOM meetings and are very grateful that we can communicate regarding village of Buffalo Grove matters. I hope the way we live our lives will go back to normal.”
Sussman said she received the vaccine because she is over age 65 and fits into the Illinois Department of Public Health’s phase 1b category of people eligible to get the shots.
The mayor said she does not know who else on the Village Board has received the vaccine. Further, village staff cited health privacy laws in not telling if any of the other elected leaders and staff have been vaccinated.
Buffalo Grove Deputy Village Manager Jennifer Maltas said Sussman requested village staff share the photo of mayor getting the first vaccine dose to encourage residents to consider getting inoculated when it becomes available to them.
Maltas explained that Sussman signed up for the vaccine through Lake County’s AllVax registration system. The mayor said it was a challenge for her to get a appointment.
“It’s very unfair that residents have to wait so long to be called for an appointment,” Sussman said. “It is frustrating and these vaccinations should be readily available to people who need them.”
In nearby Lake Zurich, Village Manager Ray Keller said his focus has been getting first responders vaccinated.
“At present, about 75% of our firefighter/paramedics have had both vaccination shots and a few of our police officers have received the vaccine,” Keller said. “Next in line would be the rest of the police officers, Public Works employees and other front-line workers, then followed by the elected officials and the administrative staff.
“I’m not aware of any of our elected officials receiving the vaccine, unless they got it through their medical provider due to age and/or health.”
Keller said the village is exploring ways staff can help with the rollout of vaccines to the public. The village has been working with the Lake County Health Department, Good Shepherd Hospital, local pharmacies and assisted living facilities – which are all receiving the vaccines directly.
“We’re looking into how we can improve distribution efficiency without getting in the way,” Keller said. “We’re closely following the IDPH and Lake County health updates on who and when different groups are eligible to keep track of the latest guidance and hopefully clarify some of the confusing messages out there.”
In Arlington Heights, Village Manager Randy Recklaus said all village employees who are in phase 1a or phase 1b categories of vaccine eligibility have now been vaccinated – if they chose to be.
“No village elected officials have been vaccinated through village means, but I am not aware if any of them have been vaccinated – due to their age, medical condition or profession – on their own,” Recklaus said. “We will continue to work with area health care providers and Cook County Department of Public Health to identify avenues for additional employee vaccinations once their categories become eligible.”
In nearby Barrington, village spokeswoman Patty Dowd Schmitz said some staff had been vaccinated and she is unsure of the status of elected officials.
“All our public safety personnel have had the opportunity to be vaccinated as a part of their duties,” Schmitz said. “Regarding the Village Board, I do not know who has been vaccinated and who hasn’t, as they are private citizens and have not been vaccinated through any type of government program or otherwise. they are in the same queue as everyone else.”
Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelancer.
