Wisconsin Center changed to combat pandemic
Goal is to create more controlled environment
The first-floor ballroom at the Wisconsin Center in downtown Milwaukee has been transformed into a COVID-19 vaccine distribution hub that will open Tuesday morning for eligible city employees — and eventually for the general public.
Mayor Tom Barrett said during a media tour Monday that he wanted to open the facility to the public as soon as possible, but that is not going to happen “today, tomorrow or this week.”
Who will receive the vaccine in what order is decided by the State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee, which advises the state’s health department in disasters or public health emergencies.
At this point, eligible city employees include those working at COVID-19 testing sites, health department employees and firefighters who provide emergency medical response. Nick Tomaro, preparedness coordinator for the city’s Health Department, said officials anticipate 800 to 1,000 city employees are in the first group.
The Wisconsin Center was chosen after city officials saw how well it worked for the summer’s Democratic National Convention and the presidential election recount, Tomaro said.
The goal in choosing this facility was to have a more controlled environment, he said, noting that the ballrooms together provide 37,000 square feet with 30-foot ceilings and that the building offers continuous airflow.
“We’re in the initial phases,” Tomaro said. “We know this is a good facility for us to start in and then as we head into later phases and we head toward vaccination of the general public, there will be other sites, definitely.”
Those are expected to include mobile sites.
As he was speaking, the final agreement documents were being finalized, so he could not say the cost per day to rent the facility. Tomaro said the Wisconsin Center offered “a pretty significant discount” and that the city had access to funding from the federal CARES Act extension and a testing pilot program in addition to anticipated federal vaccine distribution funds.
At this point, the city is expecting to use the space through May 2, with a possible extension to June 11, he said.
Inside the ballroom were stations set up in different rooms for vaccine recipients to first register, then submit forms, receive a vaccine and finally wait for 15 to 30 minutes to ensure they have no allergic reactions.
Before receiving the vaccine, Tomaro said, recipients will discuss with medical professionals any questions they have and any individual health information relevant to receiving the vaccine.
Currently, 18 vaccination stations are laid out in rows and surrounded by black curtains, ready for inoculations to begin. There is room, too, for the number of stations to increase.
Officials “optimistically” anticipate that administering 1,000 vaccines each day at the Wisconsin Center once it’s fully scaled up, Tomaro said.
The city will not receive the Pfizer vaccine in its deep-freeze state but rather in a refrigerated state, Tomaro said.
The refrigerated vaccine will be kept at the Wisconsin Center in a refrigerator made for vaccine storage, he said.
The Wisconsin Center has aroundthe-clock security, and the vaccine will be stored in a room under video surveillance that can only be accessed with key cards in the health department’s possession.