Wisconsin health officials on Wednesday cleared COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 12 to 15 after a federal committee endorsed expanding use of Pfizerâs vaccine to that group, paving the way for the injections to start in the state Thursday.
The news came as Gov. Tony Evers signaled he may be open to using federal stimulus dollars to compensate people to get a COVID-19 vaccine, if it s needed down the road, and that he plans to prioritize aid to small businesses after news Wisconsin will receive $700 million less in federal COVID-19 aid than was originally projected.
With children under 18 now making up the highest proportion of new COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin, expanding vaccination to more adolescents should help reduce the number of infections and move the state closer to a herd immunity level that can prevent outbreaks, officials said.
Wisconsin offering Pfizer COVID vaccine for children ages 12-15
May 12, 2021 7:37 PM Brandon Arbuckle
Updated:
ERFURT, GERMANY - APRIL 08: Medical Staff prepares a vial of the Pfizer/BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine against Covid-19 at a vaccination center at the Messe trade fair grounds during the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic on April 8, 2021 in Erfurt, Germany. German authorities are expecting a strong increase in the volume of inoculations in April as vaccine supplies stabilize. Germany began vaccinations in late December and authorities predict as many vaccine doses to arrive in April as in the three months before. So far about 13% of people in Germany have received a first dose. (Photo by Jens Schlueter/Getty Images)
The seven-day average of positive COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin slipped below 500. On Wednesday, the figure was 491. The seven-day average of positive cases measures the average number of new cases per day over the previous week. An overall decrease in the seven-day average of positive cases indicates the number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in the state is also going down, according to DHS.
The number of negative tests in the state was 2,890,197 Wednesday, an increase of 4,842.
An additional 82 people have been hospitalized, including two people in Washburn County, because of the virus since Tuesday, bringing the total to 29,833. Overall, 5% of Wisconsinites who contracted the virus have been hospitalized. The seven-day rolling average for people hospitalized because of the virus was 326 on Tuesday, May 11, with 13.8% of patients on ventilators, according to Wednesday s report.
Journal Times staff
RACINE â The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center will be a COVID-19 community vaccination location for two days this weekend.
City of Racine Public Health Administrator Dottie-Kay Bowersox and Mayor Cory Mason announced in a news release Wednesday that a partnership with Wisconsinâs Department of Health Services and the Wisconsin National Guard is allowing Racineâs MLK Community Center to be a COVID-19 community vaccination location for residents this coming weekend.
The community center, 1134 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, will be open on Friday, May 14, and Saturday, May 15, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. to administer first doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Kenosha County COVID-19 update May 12, 2021: 15,654 positives – West of the I westofthei.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from westofthei.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.