Vaccine eligibility will open to residents 18+ living in these 10 Milwaukee County ZIP codes

NOW: Vaccine eligibility will open to residents 18+ living in these 10 Milwaukee County ZIP codes
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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee has just announced a new plan to try to make up for the racial disparity in vaccine distribution.

Thanks in part to the influx of FEMA workers now administering COVID-19 vaccines at the Wisconsin Center, local health care workers are being redeployed. They’ll be out vaccinating people 18 and older in 10 Milwaukee ZIP Codes.

“If it were not for that, it would be overwhelming to have us populate these other sites, so FEMA has been critical at having this happen, “ said Mayor Tom Barrett.

Those ZIP codes include:

  • 53204
  • 53205
  • 53206
  • 53209
  • 53215
  • 53216
  • 53218
  • 53223
  • 53224
  • 53233

“So we value the state for working with us to address the dramatic disparities we are experiencing locally, particularly when it comes down to equitable vaccine distribution, “said David Crowley, Milwaukee county executive.

The mayor says Milwaukee is rolling out a mobile vaccination program focused on racial inequalities after the most recent data showed significant racial disparity in Milwaukee County.

“In other words, the people in the neighborhoods who need it the most were getting it the least. This led to a flurry of phone calls starting Thursday, Friday, Saturday to the state of Wisconsin, asking them to help work with us to address this issue, “said Mayor Barrett.

Milwaukee’s commissioner of public health says the city is right now holding about 2,000 doses per week at community sites, but that will increase to 2,700 next week.

“Primarily focused on shelters, we are also partnering with Greater New Birth Church and Milwaukee Health Services Inc. on Friday to provide a community site, “said Kirsten Johnson, MPH commissioner of health.

This all begins on Monday, March 22.

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