Wauwatosa Health Department to create COVID-19 vaccine acceptance campaign

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) – The Wauwatosa Health Department is working to launch a COVID-19 vaccine acceptance campaign to help get 80 percent of residents vaccinated by the end of the year.

Right now, they’re asking for community feedback through an online survey.

“We’re really looking to get feedback on why people aren’t getting vaccinated,” Health officer Laura Stephens said. “So is it an accessibility, convenience issue, is it vaccine hesitancy around side effects or safety of the vaccine? That information will help us tailor our messaging.”

The department will use the information from the survey to create the campaign and help decide where mobile clinics should be held.

“[We’re] looking at new ways to make the vaccine accessible and do some education around vaccine confidence,” Stephens said.

Right now, around 64 percent of the eligible population is vaccinated, but the numbers among minority groups are lower.

“When we talk about health equity we look at those sorts of systemic and historical reasons why people may not feel comfortable receiving the vaccine,” she said. “We’re really trying to address that through some of our education and communication and make it accessible to everyone in the community.”

A walk-in vaccine clinic is open every weekday at Wauwatosa City Hall from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. No ID is necessary and people do not need to be Wauwatosa residents to get the shot.