Chicago closes schools for a day so students can get vaccinated

Students got the day off in Chicago Friday as part of a mass vaccination campaign.

Students are used to getting snow days in Chicago, but kids got the day off on Friday as part of a mass vaccination campaign.

At least 20 schools served as vaccination sites, as city officials called on residents to use the opportunity to get themselves and their children vaccinated and get booster doses if they're eligible. City employees were also given two hours of paid leave Friday for vaccinations.

"This vaccine is easily available to children and adults now, right now," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said during a press briefing Friday morning, before she got her own booster shot. "Invest in the safety of our residents, regardless of their age, as an investment in our here, our now and our future. And it puts us one step closer to putting this pandemic behind us once and for all. The vaccine is the answer."

The vaccination effort comes just over a week after children ages 5 to 11 became eligible for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. The first full week of vaccinations has gone "beautifully," with no side effects reported except for a few sore arms, Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago's public health commissioner, said during Friday's briefing.