Chicago Vaccination Campaign Hits Major Snag after City’s Needle Breaks

By Mitchell Trachtenberg

Yesterday, Chicago's ambitious vaccination plan experienced a setback after the needle the city was using for all of its inoculations snapped in half.

In a statement, the head of the North Riverside Health Center, Max Crawford, said, "We apologize for the delay caused by this mistake. We understand that people are anxious to receive their vaccine, and many lives are at stake. We promise the campaign will continue once we superglue the needle back together.”

The malfunction reportedly happened during a routine injection. "I guess after 75,000 or so vaccinations, it just gave out," said Randy Wilkinson, a nurse at the clinic.

The deal that President Biden is inking with Pfizer should provide Chicago with at least 4 more needles, but those would not be arriving until April at the earliest.

In the meantime, the staff will be scouring the facility searching for any other needles that might be usable.

"There has to be one more around here somewhere!" said Wilkinson.