City of Milwaukee Weekly COVID-19 Update

MILWAUKEE – The disease burden in the City of Milwaukee this week decreased to 198.3 new positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people over seven days and remains in the “extreme transmission” category. The percentage of positive COVID-19 test results decreased to 13% and remains in the “extreme transmission” category. Additionally, based on U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, Milwaukee County remains in the High COVID-19 Community Level.

Currently, 64.9% of city of Milwaukee adults 16 years and older are fully vaccinated, and 49.3% of fully vaccinated individuals have received a booster dose. Of children ages 5 to 11, 20.6% have completed their pediatric COVID-19 vaccine series and 24.8% have received at least one dose.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unanimously authorized emergency use of the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for the prevention of COVID-19 to include use in children down to 6 months of age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will meet this weekend to discuss and vote on their recommendations.

Pending CDC approval, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine will be administered as a primary series of two doses, one month apart, to individuals 6 months through 17 years of age. The vaccine is also authorized to provide a third primary series dose at least one month following the second dose for individuals in this age group who have been determined to have certain kinds of immunocompromise. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be administered as a primary series of three doses in which the initial two doses are administered three weeks apart followed by a third dose administered at least eight weeks after the second dose in individuals 6 months through 4 years of age.

“For parents of young children under five years old, this is a long-awaited decision,” said Milwaukee Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson. “Soon, many parents will be able to rest assured knowing their children are protected from severe illness, hospitalization, and death from the COVID-19 virus.”

Milwaukee Health Department staff will be at Sunday’s Juneteenth Day Festival on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive with COVID-19 vaccines from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Those eligible for first, second, or booster doses of the vaccine are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to receive free protection from COVID-19. Other Milwaukee Health Department programs will be on-site to provide resources, including Empowering Families of Milwaukee (EFM), Parents Nurturing and Caring for their Children (PNCC), Direct Assistance to Dads Project (DAD)/Healthy Start, Birth Outcomes Made Better (BOMB) Doulas, Community Healthcare Access Program (CHAP), Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Strong Baby, Well Woman, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Office of Violence Prevention, and MKE Elevate.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.