MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin will open four additional community vaccination clinics across the state, joining one already up and running in Janesville, amid a push to inoculate people for the coronavirus in underserved areas, Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday.
Evers also announced that 178 Walgreens locations across Wisconsin that are a part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program will receive twice as many vaccine doses this week as last. The allocation will increase to 35,350 this week. The program, like the community clinics, is designed to reach underserved communities.
The new community clinics will be in La Crosse, Racine and Marathon counties, with a fourth split between Douglas and Barron counties in northwest Wisconsin, the governor’s office announced. They are all expected to open within the next two months.
Clinic locations were based on population demographics, local health capacity, operations, and concentration of other vaccine providers, Evers’ office said. Eventually, 10 community clinics are planned for around the state. Everyone eligible for the vaccine, no matter where they live, will be able to schedule an appointment.
Currently, everyone over the age of 65 in Wisconsin is eligible to be vaccinated. Teachers are in the next priority group, which could become eligible as soon as next week.
The state is launching a vaccine registration websiteon Monday where people can sign up to get shots and find out where vaccinations are available. People can also learn about vaccine availability by contacting their local health care provider, Walgreens or by checking their local public health department website, the governor’s office said.
There are more than 1,800 vaccinators across Wisconsin.
Positive COVID-19 cases have been on the declinein Wisconsin, with the seven-day average of new cases at its lowest point since early July. Nearly 560,000 Wisconsin residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 6,284 have died of the disease since the pandemic started.
Wisconsin’s vaccination rate was 15th highest nationally, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. As of Monday, 14.9% of Wisconsin’s population had received at least one dose, which was ahead of the national average of 13.3%.
Nearly 353,000 residents have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, or about 6.1% of Wisconsin’s population, the state health department said.
