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Now that vaccinations are widely available, Wisconsin is facing a new challenge: Convincing residents to get one. “We have over 200 appointments available right now, this week, at Festival Hall,” Racine Public Health Administrator Dottie-Kay Bowersox told the Journal Times. “And many of the other organizations within the city of Racine have appointments available … In order for us to get control of this, we need to be vaccinated.” State Department of Health Services’ data shows a slowdown in vaccination pace in April, from 418,733 doses administered the week of April 4 to 330,164 the week of April 11. And concerning new national polling finds that among people who have avoided getting vaccinated to date, just one third say they plan to do so.
Top Stories
Racine health leaders worried about uptick in cases; many available vaccine appointments — Journal Times
‘Please, please, please’ get COVID-19 vaccine, Milwaukee leaders plead — WISN
Mayo Clinic teams with dozens of health care providers on pro-vaccination ad campaign — Superior Telegram
State vaccinations inching forward, but western Wisconsin still lagging behind — Eau Claire Leader-Telegram
Janesville teen’s COVID-19 long haul continues as she battles new related diagnosis — GazetteExtra
Irrational covid fears — New York Times
Workplace vaccines: Dozens of employers offering vaccines to their workers. Some companies pay a bonus, others say bring a friend. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Quotable
“I think no options are off the table. I think whatever we can do to bring vaccine to people, to bring up that level of herd immunity is going to be critical.”
Dr. Ben Weston, Milwaukee County’s director of medical services, speaking to WISN about the need to raise the county’s vaccination rate.
Data to note
Here’s a look at the Department of Health Services’ vaccine dashboard, which showed Tuesday that 40.4% of Wisconsinites have received at least once vaccine dose, including 79.6% of those ages 65 and older. Meanwhile, 28.1% of Wisconsinites are fully vaccinated, including 72.2% of those older than 65. Racial disparities persist in distributing vaccines. The shares of Black, Hispanic and Native American residents to receive a dose remain below that of white residents.
Public health officials continue to urge Wisconsinites to wear masks and practice physical distancing until vaccinations are more widely distributed — particularly as more contagious virus variants spread. On Tuesday, the state DHS reported a seven-day average of 714 new cases. The state also reported eight new COVID-19 deaths, pushing the full toll to 6,718.
WisContext offers this visualization:
Find a vaccine site near you
DHS has this interactive map of vaccine providers across Wisconsin. Vaccinations are generally by appointment only and it may take time to schedule appointments with providers due to limited supplies of vaccines. Curious about how well your county is doing on vaccinations? The Washington Post created this searchable map.
Resilient Wisconsin
People helping others and showing resilience during this time of anxiety. Send suggestions by tagging us on social media — @wisconsinwatch — or emailing us: tips@wisconsinwatch.org.
Better late than never: Beaver Dam High School celebrates homecoming — Beaver Dam Daily Citizen
As students return to classrooms, Mt. Zion plans to phase out Schools Without Walls — Wisconsin State Journal
MMSD high schools planning in-person graduation ceremonies — Cap Times
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