Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike on Tuesday, Jan. 11 receives her coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination at the Cook County Health’s North Riverside Health Center in Riverside. (illinois.gov)

Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike on Tuesday, Jan. 11 received her coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination at the Cook County Health’s North Riverside Health Center in Riverside.

Partnering with the Cook County Department of Public Health and Cook County Health, Ezike received her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

“I waited to let my physician colleagues and other health care personnel receive the vaccine first because they have a higher risk than me of being exposed to COVID-19,” she said.  “But I want to show people, and not just tell them, that I trust this vaccine and I want them to have confidence in the vaccine so they will get vaccinated when they are eligible. “

Ezike added the more people who get vaccinated and sooner schools can reopen and life can gradually start getting back to some pre-COVID-19 levels,

“Vaccination gets us closer to the safe playing of sports and it gets us closer to be able to share love with warm embraces and not just air hugs.”

The IDPH encourages people to share photos of when they get vaccinated on social media and us the hash tag #VaxUpIL.  The more people who see others getting vaccinated, the more people will choose to get vaccinated, the IDPH stated.

More information about COVID-19 vaccine and vaccination can be found on the IDPH website at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/vaccine-faq.