Milwaukee Health Dept. begins doling out COVID-19 vaccine to seniors

MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Health Department began on Monday, Feb. 1 administering the COVID-19 vaccine to seniors, 65 years and older.

2,200 people age 65 and older have already scheduled appointments to get vaccinated at the Wisconsin Center Monday and Tuesday.

Health officials say with the allocation of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine, they hope to vaccinate 5,000 people this week at the Wisconsin Center vaccination hub. 

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"I’m afraid of needles and it didn’t hurt at all," Marva Meinert said.

The Milwaukee resident received her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Monday after experiencing firsthand the deadly consequences of the pandemic. 

"We did do direct outreach through the Milwaukee Health Department COVID-19 hotline," Preparedness Coordinator Nick Tomaro said. "And then we did look at individual groups, certain area churches, we have housing authority city of Milwaukee residents coming over today."

The remainder of the city's anticipated 5,000 doses will go to city employees who are due for their second Moderna shot. 

"You’re talking about two different vaccines, two different dosing schedules," he said. "And so we are having to be very, very flexible with scheduling at this time."

For seniors looking to put their name in next week's slots... officials are requesting patience. They've had to suspend registration through the HealthyMKE.com website after people who were not eligible were still trying to sign up. 

"Down the line, we’ll have better information for you as to how individuals will directly register for the vaccine at the Wisconsin Center in that 65 and older crowd," Tomaro said.

According to the latest data, 6.6 percent of the population in Milwaukee has received a first dose of the vaccine. 

The best way to find a vaccination location is to sign up for alerts at HealthyMKE.com.