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Annie Czerwinski is eagerly awaiting a chance to walk the stage in a cap and gown in a commencement ceremony at the University of Illinois next month something that she has been anticipating for years.
Czerwinski, however, has been waiting longer than most students taking part in such events this spring: She actually got her degree in molecular and cellular biology last May. But because the pandemic canceled last year’s in-person commencement, the state’s flagship school is allowing any 2020 graduate to come to the campus in Urbana-Champaign and be recognized along with 2021 grads.
“Honestly, it was really sad,” Czerwinski said of missing out on a formal in-person program last year. “I had been looking forward to commencement for so long.”
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Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 81,152 vaccine doses, 2,556 new COVID-19 cases and 23 deaths reported Tuesday
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker and health care leaders announced a new program Monday aimed at dispelling myths surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine in vulnerable communities and putting resources into the hands of people who are still being infected by the virus.
“This program is about one-on-one connections involving established, trusted members of the community,” Pritzker said at the news conference. “Whether that is a federally qualified health center or a church, an LGBTQ+ center, a senior center or a local branch of the NAACP.”
The Pandemic Health Navigator program will help residents in over 100 counties statewide get vaccinated or answer any concerns have about the vaccine. It will also help those who have contracted the coronavirus by getting resources directly to them. Those resources include connecting families to food, educational resources, rental assistance and utility assistance.