City of Milwaukee Weekly COVID-19 Update

MILWAUKEE – The disease burden in the City of Milwaukee this week rose to 351.6 new positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people over seven days and remains in the “excessive transmission” category. The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests decreased to 9.1% and dropped back into the “substantial transmission” category.

Saturday, September 25 will be the final day that COVID testing will be available at American Family Field. The new mass testing site is anticipated to be announced next week. In the interim, the Northwest and Southside Health Centers will receive additional staff and resources to handle the increase in testing demand.

The Milwaukee Health Department’s COVID-19 vaccination incentive program launched on Thursday, September 23 and has already seen success in its first two days. While supplies last, anyone 12 years of age and older who receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Northwest Health Center or Southside Health Center will also receive a $100 U.S. Bank gift card on site. More information about this incentive program can be found at Milwaukee.gov/COVIDvax.

Earlier this week, the CDC approved a booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for individuals over the age of 65 or individuals 50 to 64 years old with underlying medical issues. More information about the CDC’s full recommendation can be found on their website. At this time, the Milwaukee Health Department is awaiting additional guidance from Wisconsin DHS before releasing more information on the availability and administration of booster doses.

The primary focus of the Milwaukee Health Department continues to be getting as many residents vaccinated as quickly as possible. Currently, 55.5% of City of Milwaukee adult residents over the age of 16 have completed their vaccination series and 61.2% have received at least one dose.

This week, the Health Department vaccination teams surpassed 400 mobile vaccination clinics since they began taking vaccine into the community in March. There have been 11,674 doses of vaccine administered at these mobile clinics to date. In addition to the mobile vaccination clinics, homebound and door-to-door vaccination efforts continue. To date, 617 doses of vaccine have been administered in residents’ homes through scheduled visits, and 542 doses of vaccine have been given through the door-to-door canvassing program. Anyone interested in scheduling an in-home vaccine appointment can call the COVID Hotline at 414-286-6800.

On Saturday, September 25, COVID-19 vaccines will be available at the El Ray Health Fair (916 S. Caesar E. Chavez Drive) from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. and at the Core El Centro Step to the Beat of Healing Block Party (130 W. Bruce Street) from 1 until 4 p.m. A full list of upcoming mobile vaccine clinic locations can be found at Milwaukee.gov/COVIDvax.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.