CHICAGO – As part of its ongoing efforts to provide residents 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.

“As Chicago faces this unprecedented moment, our comprehensive, proactive, and data-driven response has been led by Dr. Arwady and our outstanding team of public health professionals,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “This new livestream serves as the latest tool for City leaders to communicate directly with residents eager for the latest updates on this ongoing situation and empower them as they go about their daily lives. We are all in this together, and will continue to do everything to protect our city, secure the health and safety of our families, and keep our residents informed.”

Residents can submit their questions for Dr. Arwady from wherever they 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).

“I know this has been a very confusing and disconcerting time for many people, so I’m excited to able to interact directly with them and answer their questions,” said Dr. Arwady. “In situations like this there can be a lot of misinformation out there, so I look forward to addressing the concerns people have and sharing what we have learned about this virus.”

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.

For more information and updates on COVID-19, please visit chicago.gov/coronavirus.

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