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Today we feature a story by WPR’s Shamane Mills, who describes the various ways public health officials are trying to get vaccines to the roughly 57% of Wisconsinites who are not yet inoculated against COVID-19. “Communities in Wisconsin are pulling out all the stops to make it easier for people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 with walk-in sites, text messages and mobile clinics,” Mills reports. As the pace of vaccination slows, the Biden Administration announced a new push in rural areas to distribute shots to local health providers who are seen as more likely to convince reticent people to get the shots. On Tuesday, Biden announced a goal of getting 70% of U.S. adults vaccinated by July 4.
Top Stories
Texts, walk-in sites, mobile clinics: Keeping momentum up for COVID-19 vaccinations — WPR
Biden aims for vaccinating 70% of adult Americans by July 4 — Associated Press
Buffalo County offering walk-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic — Eau Claire Leader-Telegram
Dane County judge sides with public health department on setting COVID-19 restrictions — Wisconsin State Journal
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 rise in Stateline Area — Beloit Daily News
St. Catherine’s students walk out of school, demanding virtual schooling amid COVID fears — Racine Journal Times
Children now account for 22% of new U.S. COVID cases. Why is that? — NPR
Millions are saying no to the vaccines. What are they thinking? — The Atlantic
Quotable
“The statutes broadly authorize and mandate that Ms. (Janel) Heinrich take all measures necessary to slow the spread of this virus. I will not call an apple an orange, a dog a cat, up down or left right. Neither will I ignore that the Legislature’s chosen language gives Ms. Heinrich great power to fight communicable disease.”
Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost, rejecting a challenge to the authority of the county’s top public health official to limit indoor and outdoor gatherings, including sports activities, to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Data to note
Here’s a look at the Department of Health Services’ vaccine dashboard, which showed Tuesday that 43.5% of Wisconsinites have received at least once vaccine dose, including 81% of those ages 65 and older. Meanwhile, 34.7% of Wisconsinites are fully vaccinated, including 75.5% 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 indoors 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 633 new daily cases. The state also reported 11 new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the full toll to 6,850.
WisContext offers this visualization:
Find a vaccine site near you
DHS and the federal government have partnered with Vaccine Finder to help Wisconsinites find vaccinations. Vaccinations are often by appointment, but some providers are increasingly offering walk-in options. In addition, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that people seeking COVID-19 shots can text their ZIP code to 438829 to find nearby vaccine providers.
COVID-19 fact-checking
Not sure if something you heard about COVID-19 is true? FactCheck.org offers this page full of explainers — and debunking of common distortions — about the disease to help you sort out fact from fiction.
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.
Restaurant owners can get help figuring out COVID-19 relief from UW-La Crosse — WKBT
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