Masks required in Chicago and Cook, Faculty Council meeting reports vax stats and Pfizer's shot gets a rubber stamp
And Henri makes landfall in New England
Hello from your illustrious newsletter team: Kate, Eiman, Cam, Ally and Grace. We’re back with more news and headlines for your week, so go ahead and dive in!
Vaccination statuses on the agenda at last week’s Faculty Council meeting
Today, DePaul released instructions for employees to attest to their vaccination status. A third-party platform will be used so employees can report their vaccination to the university. Employees only need to submit their vaccination records after they have received all recommended doses of the vaccine (two doses of Pfizer or Moderna, one dose of Johnson & Johnson). DePaul employees can access the secure site using their seven-digit DePaul ID to receive credentials through their email. Instructions can be found via DePaul’s COVID-19 website.
An Aug. 18 Faculty Council town hall allowed DePaul faculty to raise questions and concerns about the upcoming school year. Associate Provost Caryn Chaden claimed that, as of August 18, over 18,000 DePaul students have submitted their COVID-19 vaccination records and 427 students have applied for an exemption, as reported by the DePaulia -- the university estimates that by the start of Fall Quarter, only about 500 students will be expected to submit exemption forms.
Returning to campus this fall? Make sure to submit your vaccination records to campus connect in order to enroll in in-person classes (or avoid being dropped from ones you’re already in) and opt in to the unlimited U-pass program if you haven’t already.
Chicago Headlines
After the City of Chicago’s indoor mask mandate went into place on Friday, the Cook County Department of Public Health followed suit, with suburban Cook County residents and visitors needing to mask up as of today.. Masks are now required indoors in all public places throughout the county. Kelly Bauer of Block Club Chicago.
Following the approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine by the FDA earlier today, Mayor Lightfoot announced today that a vaccine mandate for city employees is in the works and to be expected. Rick Pearson and John Byrne of Chicago Tribune.
The past weekend saw the return of the annual Air and Water Show in Chicago, just without the water. After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the show returned for a scaled-down version, with only the U.S Navy Blue Angels performing. Katie Anthony of the Chicago Sun Times has the details.
Have any feedback on how we can improve the newsletter or what you want to see as we go back to school? Let us know your thoughts here.
National Headlines
Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine received full approval from the FDA for those 16 and older earlier today, the first to reach full approval from the FDA after previous categorization of emergency use-status, which remains in place for children ages 12 to 15. This means new decisions will be made regarding vaccine requirements among hospitals, colleges and other companies, and that Pfizer is able to sell their vaccine under the name Comirnaty. Moderna’s application for approval is currently pending, while Johnson and Johnson are expected to apply for approval soon. Sharon LaFraniere and Noah Weiland of the New York Times continue to update the story.
Tropical Storm Henri continues to ravage across New England, striking the coast of Rhode Island on Sunday. Henri has caused strong winds of up to 60 mph as well as heavy flooding in affected areas leaving many without power. Henri’s status was reduced from a Category 1 hurricane back to a tropical storm over the weekend, but victims are not out of the woods yet. CNN’s Aya Elamroussi and Eric Levenson provide updates.
A petition for a hearing on same-sex marriages under the Hindu Marriage Act, Foreign Marriage Act and Special Marriage Act is set to heard in the Delhi High Court on Tuesday. Same-sex married couple, Joydeep Sengupta and Russel Blaine Stephens, have filed a petition with the help of civil rights activist, Mario Leslie Dpenha. The couple was legally married in New York in 2012, but Sengupta is also an Overseas Citizen of India. Stephens hopes to apply for OCI status as a spouse of an OCI cardholder. The Express News Service in New Delhi reported this story.
Thursday morning, a man in a black pickup truck drove up to the Library of Congress and threatened to set off a bomb, causing multiple evacuations across Capitol Hill. With an alleged detonator in his hand, the man communicated with police by holding up hand-written signs in his car. After almost five hours of negotiation with police, Floyd Ray Roseberry of North Carolina surrendered. Roseberry attempted to live stream his threats on Facebook only to have his account deactivated. The incident prompted evacuations of surrounding buildings and homes. Roseberry was believed to be severely mentally ill, and claimed he was “here for a reason, Joe Biden.” Sadie Gurman and Alexa Corse of WSJ reported the story.
The 16th Summer Paralympic Games are set to begin on Tuesday in Tokyo. There will be no spectators due to the continued threat of COVID-19. Other changes this year include an increase in prize money for the U.S. Paralympic medalists. Previously, they received one-fifth of what their Olympic peers have earned. There will also be extended TV coverage and streaming services. Gwen Knapp of the New York Times has the story.
Resources
Rental Assistance
The Illinois Housing Development Authority periodically offers rental payment programs which send vouchers directly to landlords to subsidize rent costs. The program is currently closed to new applicants. However, housing stability service providers are offered year-round. Check out the resources here.
The City of Chicago’s Rental Assistance Program provides funding for Chicagoans who are at risk of becoming homeless.
The Brave Space Alliance currently offers multiple housing resources. In order to distribute aid accordingly, they have a housing intake and assessment form that you can find here.
COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Resources
All of these testing sites and vaccination sites can be accessed for free and without insurance.
Howard Brown offers free, walk-in COVID-19 viral and antibody testing at multiple locations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, in addition to mobile testing sites that are updated weekly. The organization also offers the Moderna vaccine for individuals 18 and older. You can check all of their current COVID-19 resources here.
The Illinois Department of Public Health and the city of Chicago offer free COVID-19 testing sites in the city and surrounding counties, which are listed with more information here. IDPH also offers COVID-19 vaccines to all residents 12 years and older. Call 833-621-1284 to schedule an appointment.
The City of Chicago partnered with the Community Organized Relief Effort to set up free drive-thru and walk-in testing sites in the city, primarily on the South and West sides, with appointments available Monday through Friday. Register here.
The city has also updated its COVID-19 testing program with more mobile sites, which change weekly. More info here.
Know someone 12 years of age or older who has yet to receive their COVID-19 vaccine? Check out appointments via Zocdoc, the city of Chicago’s Vaccine Finder or pharmacy websites such as Walgreens and CVS to see what is available in or around your ZIP code.
Mental Health Resources
At Open Counseling, there’s a list of people and nonprofits with counseling services available for free or low cost.
This website compiles mental health resources, including therapist directories and other online resources.
The Center on Halsted offers behavioral health, anti-violence and educational resources for LGBTQ+ people.
Howard Brown Health offers anti-racism resources and sliding scale counseling specializing in the LGBTQ+ community.
This document is a resource for Black people experiencing racial trauma. The master list includes specific resources as well as protesting tips and donation links.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago who provide services for under $75.
Here’s 7 virtual mental health resources supporting Black people right now, including Chicago-based community organization Sista Afya’s support groups.
The Trans Lifeline’s peer support hotline is a resource operated by transgender and nonbinary staffers for the trans community: 877-565-8860.
The Center for Religion and Psychotherapy in Chicago is a nonprofit that provides affordable, sliding-scale counseling. Call 312-263-4368, ext. 9081 to schedule an intake appointment (counseling is not religious-centered).
That’s all for this week, folks!
All the best,
The Summer Newsletter Team