Trump Tower staff received vaccine through program designated for impoverished neighborhoods: report says

Trump Tower in downtown Chicago, Ill., managed to have its staff vaccinated under a program designated for the Windy City's most impoverished residents in its poorest neighborhoods, a new report alleges.

According to Block Club Chicago, the Chicago Public Health Department is now investigating to determine how an improper vaccination event may have occurred. It is being reported that the staff of the luxury hotel all received vaccinations under a program dubbed the Protect Chicago Plus campaign, which was designed to "target residents of 15 community areas on the city's South and West sides hit hard by COVID-19."

Chicago's downtown area, where the luxurious Trump Hotel is located, is not one of the targeted areas included under that vaccine campaign. A spokesperson for the city's Department of Public Health has indicated that the hotel has been contacted to determine how the mass vaccination event even occurred. However, the hotel has yet to provide those details.

"We're looking into it," the spokesman said. "I will say the Protect Chicago Plus program is intended for those designated communities, so we will be looking to find out what happened."

Trump Tower residents, however, have revealed that in addition to the latest vaccine event, part of the staff and residential sides of the tower's hotel have been receiving vaccinations over the last few months. One unnamed resident also sent an email to Dr. Allison Arwady, the director of the Chicago Department of Public Health, to express concern about the optional vaccinations.

Multiple employees from the tower's hotel and residence sides told a Trump Tower resident they've been vaccinated at the tower over the past few months, despite not appearing to fit into the city's or state's eligibility criteria for vaccination, the resident told Block Club. Last week, a group of young employees told the resident they were offered vaccinations at the tower March 10, the resident said.

The Trump Tower vaccine event comes as many who are eligible for vaccination under the Protect Chicago Plus campaign and are considered "most at risk" are still struggling to get vaccine appointments for their shots.