Two sites now open to all residents
Locations were limited to certain ZIP codes
The COVID-19 vaccination sites at Milwaukee’s North Division and South Division high schools that had been available only to residents of specific ZIP codes opened to all city residents Tuesday.
The two sites are open for walk-in vaccinations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday until April 16, according to a statement from the Milwaukee Health Department.
The sites had previously been expected to stay open until April 19 before transitioning to Northwest Health Center, 7630 W. Mill Road, and Southside Health Center, 1639 S. 23rd St.
“We want as many people as possible vaccinated promptly and easily. Opening the doors to all residents at these community vaccination sites will help achieve that goal,” Milwaukee Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson said in the statement.
North Division High School, 1011 W. Center St., and South Division High School, 1515 W. Lapham Blvd., opened March 22 for residents of 10 ZIP codes that rank high in terms of vulnerability to disasters such as the pandemic.
All city residents ages 16 and older are eligible to be vaccinated at the sites.
Last week, 1,538 vaccine doses were administered at North Division High School and 1,940 doses were administered at South Division High School, Johnson said during a virtual press conference Tuesday.
Officials announced last week that the Wisconsin Center in the city’s downtown would become a federal community COVID-19 vaccination clinic with support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
On Monday, 1,000 first doses and 1,052 second doses were administered at the Wisconsin Center, Johnson said.
Additional appointments at the site open every three days, and Johnson said appointments would open Wednesday for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Of the 3,000 daily doses from the federal government, 2,000 were targeted to go to the Wisconsin Center and 1,000 to community vaccination sites at North Division and South Division high schools, according to the state.
At least in the beginning, the state will continue to allocate 1,000 doses per day from the state supply for the Wisconsin Center.
The Wisconsin Center is open by appointment to everyone eligible. As of Monday in Wisconsin, that means all residents ages 16 and older.
The city remains in charge of coordinating the overall operations at the Wisconsin Center, Johnson said.
She said 11.2% of Milwaukee residents have been fully vaccinated and 22.4% have received at least one dose.
21 ZIP codes prioritized for Milwaukee County site
Anyone ages 18 and older can be vaccinated at the Kosciuszko Community Center, 2201 S. 7th St.
But the county is setting aside appointments for residents of 21 ZIP codes that either have high levels of vulnerability or low vaccination rates, said Ben Weston, director of medical services at the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management.
Those ZIP codes are 53119, 53172, 53203, 53204, 53205, 53206, 53208, 53209, 53210, 53212, 53214, 53215, 53216, 53218, 53219, 53221, 53223, 53224, 53225, 53233 and 53235.
They include ZIP codes in municipalities such as Brown Deer, Cudahy, Glendale, St. Francis, South Milwaukee and West Milwaukee, in addition to the city of Milwaukee. Appointments can be made at CovidMKE.com.
American Family Field testing site hours, location changing
Milwaukee officials also announced that the city’s COVID-19 testing location at American Family Field would change hours, location and days of operation.
Starting Monday, testing in the parking lot will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday instead of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
On Thursday, the testing location will also move to the east parking lot, designated as the “Yount” lot.
The current setup has been in the “American Family” parking lot.
Testing will not take place at the ballpark on April 14 or April 28 because of the game schedule.
More information, including days the site will be closed for games, will be updated at Milwaukee.gov/CovidTesting.
Doctors criticize mask ruling
Two doctors with the nonprofit advocacy group the Committee to Protect Medicare on Tuesday slammed the state Supreme Court decision that overturned Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate.
The decision also blocked him from issuing any new public health emergency orders to require face masks without the approval of the state Legislature, which is controlled by Republicans.
“The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision to end our state’s safety protocol requiring masks endangers our hardfought efforts to get back to normal and keep people safe because the facts and the science all agree wearing a mask can save lives,” said Dr. Robert Freedland, a La Crosse ophthalmologist and the group’s Wisconsin state lead.
He and other physicians are concerned, he said, that COVID-19 outbreaks are now being driven by more contagious variants. That includes the B.1.1.7 variant that infected 35 people, including 16 children and five workers, at a Dane County child care center.
Dane County outbreak unlikely to change Milwaukee plans
Johnson said the Dane County case would not change the city’s plans for responding to the pandemic or how it will move between varying levels of restrictions.
She said many of the city’s child care centers have been open and have Health Department-approved safety plans in place. Schools also have plans, she said.
“We feel fairly confident about the mitigation measures that are in place, including with (Milwaukee Public Schools) opening,” Johnson said.
It’s not clear at this point whether an increase in cases in the state will end up being a significant spike like in November or a blip, Weston said.
The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases rose again Tuesday to 634, the highest since Feb. 19. And the oneday total mark of 886 cases is the highest since Feb. 12.
Hospitalizations rose Tuesday to 275 patients, the highest mark in more than a month but well below the peak of more than 2,200 last November.
The severity of the rise will be determined by factors including the effects of new variants, how much caution people take with masking and distancing, and how quickly officials can get people vaccinated, Weston said.