Many Chicago Cops Remain Unvaccinated as Mandate Deadline Passes

The city did not have more updated figures on Wednesday, but as of Monday 2,120 police department members remained unvaccinated. But not all unvaccinated cops face losing their police powers as a result of failing to comply since 1,439 of them have approved religious and medical exemptions.

A much greater number of department employees, 3,254, have been denied their exemption request and 571 are still waiting on a response to their applications.

As the latest deadline for Chicago police officers to get the COVID-19 vaccine came and went Wednesday, up to 681 police employees — or 5.5% of the department — could be refusing to get the vaccine without a valid accommodation in place.

Under a court-ordered arbitrator’s ruling in February, the approximately 12,000 employees of the Chicago Police Department had until April 13 to get the second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or the first shot of the Johnson & Johnson version, the Chicago Tribune reports.