by Linda Keslar //
Art by Danny Kim/original image from Getty Images
Just before the pandemic began, a group from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago wrapped up one of the first major studies to describe physician experiences with online harassment. In the offline world, health care jobs are among the most dangerous, and hospital workers face four times the risk of violence as people in other industries (“When Healers Get Hurt,” Winter 2019). The study, published in
JAMA Internal Medicine early in 2021, found that this danger exists online as well, with one in four physicians reporting a personal attack on social media. Top reasons for attacks included the doctors’ advocacy of vaccinations, gun control and access to abortion. But there were also personal attacks based on the poster’s religion and race, and one in six female physicians faced online sexual harassment.
Declining doses
“We were surprised and pleased that people are coming from other areas because they’ve heard that we are operating a very good and efficient site,” said Sangamon County Department of Public Health Director Gail O’Neill.
National Guard members check people in, collect consent forms, and direct them to dozens of numbered tables set up at the back of the building where medical professionals administer the shots. Most are through the process in less than 10 minutes, and then are directed to wait the 15-minute observation period on folding chairs spaced six feet apart. National Guard members staff another few tables at the exit, armed with tablets to schedule second-dose appointments.
Declining doses
“We were surprised and pleased that people are coming from other areas because they’ve heard that we are operating a very good and efficient site,” said Sangamon County Department of Public Health Director Gail O’Neill.
National Guard members check people in, collect consent forms, and direct them to dozens of numbered tables set up at the back of the building where medical professionals administer the shots. Most are through the process in less than 10 minutes, and then are directed to wait the 15-minute observation period on folding chairs spaced six feet apart. National Guard members staff another few tables at the exit, armed with tablets to schedule second-dose appointments.
As COVID-19 has spread across the nation, the distribution of misinformation has matched its virality. Some experts say the world is facing a second pandemic: an “infodemic.”
To reduce the impacts of this misinformation, some Illinois healthcare professionals are seeking ways to dispel vaccine hesitation and advocate for vaccine equity, both individually and collectively. In Illinois, the Illinois Medical Professionals Action Collaborative Team formed in March 2020 to disseminate COVID-19 information and to widen healthcare workers’ impact at the state level.
IMPACT community outreach director Halleh Akbarnia said people have had to “hunt” for appointments, facing difficulties due to varying distribution across states and cities and the lack of a centralized source for vaccination information.
The only contested race in the Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary District 181 Board election has current Board President Margaret Kleber running against newcomer Christine Dannhausen-Brun for a two-year term.