MILWAUKEE — The push to vaccinate child care workers and educators is only ramping up, a week after they’ve become eligible.
The Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin are jumping in to help the Milwaukee Health Department put needles into arms.
As of March 1, about 7,000,000 Wisconsin residents are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. About 18 percent of all Wisconsinites at least received their first dose and now, an effort to increase that percentage is underway.
“When all MPS employees became eligible to get the vaccine, I immediately registered,” said Jeffery Pucel, a carpenter at Milwaukee Public Schools.
He’s only 60, just shy of the 65-age limit. Thanks to his employment with MPS, he can now be vaccinated.
“I think everybody is just ready for this to be over. and I think getting the vaccine is a step in the right direction,” he said.
The Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin is working to aid the city of Milwaukee's health department in getting education employees and child-care staffers vaccinated.
“We know there’s 25-thousand teachers and child care workers that need shots in arms and we’re committed to do everything we can,” said Peggy Troy, CEO of Children’s Wisconsin.
Sunday, about 500 of those workers were vaccinated.
Purcel said he’s also hoping to see more people getting vaccinated to make sure students’ return to schools will be as safe as it can possibly be.
DHS has provided the City of Milwaukee Health Department 17,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for educators and child care workers. they’re over halfway through them and hope to have each and every one given by next week.
