COVID-19

Dear Chicago Residents and Partners,

We know there is a lot of concern in the community and there is interest for more information. As part of our ongoing efforts to provide you with frequent and ongoing updates on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the City of Chicago’s Department of Public Health (CDPH) is announcing a new way for the public to engage and learn updates with ‘THE DOC IS IN: ASK DR. ARWADY,’ a new daily live-stream hosted by the City and CDPH Commissioner Allison Arwady, M.D. Starting today, THE DOC IS IN will be held daily at 11 a.m. on Twitter and Facebook Live, connecting residents directly with Chicago’s leading public health expert and occasional co-hosts, including experts from city departments and Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot.

You can submit your questions for Dr. Arwady from wherever you are by tweeting with the hashtag #AskDrArwady or by commenting on the livestreams to get answers in real-time. The daily social briefings will be hosted on all of the City’s social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter (www.facebook.com/ChicagoMayorsOffice and www.twitter.com/chicagosmayor).

Today’s social media briefings build on CDPH’s established call center to address questions and concerns from the public. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m, seven days a week, CDPH staff answer phones to provide the latest public health guidance to communities as part of ongoing efforts to help minimize transmission and ensure residents are taking the appropriate precautionary measures.

Dr. Arwady has been at CDPH since 2015, serving as Chief Medical Officer before being elevated to acting commissioner in June 2019 and then confirmed as commissioner in January. Prior to CDPH, she worked for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer. In that role, she focused on outbreak response, including international work on Ebola and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. She is a board-certified internal medicine physician and pediatrician, and continues to see primary care patients weekly.

Tell your friends and family and continue to check chicago.gov/coronavirus for more information and updates on COVID-19.