3 more measles cases at Chicago migrant shelter as CDC arrives
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Three more measles cases were reported at a migrant shelter in Pilsen – bringing the total at the facility to seven.
All but one of the eight recent measles cases in Chicago have originated at the shelter, which is the city's largest. Some asylum seekers were inside under quarantine Tuesday, as many migrants face evictions from shelters in just a few days.
"While we're seeing new cases every day, this is not like the COVID-19 outbreak. The vast majority of Chicagoans are vaccinated against measles and therefore not at high risk," Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Olusimbo 'Simbo' Ige said in a news release. "But those who are unvaccinated need to take precautions and if they're exposed, quarantine immediately and connect with your healthcare provider. Above all else, get vaccinated so you, too, can be protected from this virus."
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been dispatched to the shelter at 2241 S. Halsted St. at the request of the Illinois state and Chicago local governments to check in and see what technical support they need just to get through and contain the outbreak.
The CDC was on the ground Tuesday.
"We hope the team that was, again, at the request that we've sent to deploy today, is going to be able to support them in the ways that they are looking for support," said Manisha Patel, chief medical officer for national immunizations and respiratory diseases for the CDC.
CBS 2 late Tuesday was still waiting to hear back from the State of Illinois and the Chicago Department of Public Health on their requests to the CDC and the next steps to combat the outbreak. There was also no word late Tuesday on what the CDC might find on their visit.
Previously, Mayor Brandon Johnson has said there would be a 20-day quarantine process for those affected – in conjunction with outreach and increased vaccination opportunities for asylum seekers who are unvaccinated.
Health officials have told CBS 2 that nearly 900 migrants at the Pilsen shelter who did not have evidence for immunity have been vaccinated, while 700 were found already to be immune.
According to the latest data available to analyze from the city – which was released Friday – 1,896 people are staying at the Halsted Street shelter. This leaves around 300 people unvaccinated, and not immune to an extremely contagious illness.
Video from inside the city's largest migrant shelter shows some people – people who CBS 2 is told are sick or in need of quarantine – moving out. The person who took the video asked to have their identity concealed.
One migrant said off camera that she understands those under quarantine have been taken somewhere else.
CBS 2 spoke with the CDC on Tuesday ahead of their visit to the shelter – asking what they would provide once they arrived.
"What that city and state have asked us to do is provide technical assistance - making sure that if they have questions about who should be vaccinated, who should be quarantined, who should be isolated, they have people on the ground providing that," said Manisha Patel, chief medical officer for national immunizations and respiratory diseases for the CDC, "making sure they have an adequate supply; making sure that if there's laboratory testing that's needed, that that gets shipped to the right facilities to be able to turn around those tests really quickly."
Making sure health care providers are informed is also a major priority for the CDC.
Again, there was no word late Tuesday from the Chicago Department of Public Health on what comes next.
Questions about medical screening process when migrants arrive
Meanwhile, the city and state also have not revealed the exact medical screening process that volunteers who work with new arrivals say should be happening at the migrant landing zone at Polk and Desplaines streets where buses arrive. Such a process at the landing zone could help prevent another outbreak in the future.
Cook County Health previously said it offers medical assessments to new arrivals who have gone through city intake process. CBS 2 repeatedly asked the city to explain that process and about screenings for migrants – but they have not provided an answer.
John Martin of the Opportunity Center for the Homeless runs a network of shelters along the border in El Paso, where he receives migrants prior to them heading to their final destination – like Chicago.
At the El Paso shelters, new arrivals undergo a screening questionnaire based only on symptoms.
"We ask very questions upon arrival, and they're simple questions: 'Do you have a cough? Have you had a fever?'" Martin said.
Martin said he does not ask about vaccinations.
This all happened as the city's first 60-day shelter stay deadline approaches. On Saturday, many people living at the Halsted Street shelter could be forced to find another place to live.
Late Tuesday, several alderpersons led by Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), chairman of the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, issued letter urging Mayor Johnson to "replace the 60 Day Eviction Policy with one that addresses shelter stays on a case-by-case basis, in a manner that provides the support and dignity any of us would want in a similar situation."
"If the 60 Day Eviction Policy is enforced, the majority of new arrivals—who cannot yet secure work or housing—will face involuntary shelter exits, interruption to community integration, and potentially unsheltered homelessness," the alderpeople wrote. "What we have also now seen after this weekend is that there are public health concerns that could be exacerbated if people who have no rental assistance, no work authorization, and significant language barriers are put out on the street."
The Mayor's office said they will have an update on the upcoming shelter deadline this week.