COVID-19

Weekly Update: August 23, 2021

Roll up your sleeve. Get a shot. Get $100.

Today, Gov. Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced Wisconsin residents who get their first dose of any COVID-19 vaccine from a Wisconsin provider between August 20 through September 6 can receive a $100 Visa Gift Card. All Wisconsin residents ages 12 and over are eligible for the reward and will need to fill the form on the Reward Sign-up page. Proof of insurance, citizenship, or ID is not required to be eligible for or to receive the $100.

Learn how to get your $100 reward or get help registering by visiting the DHS COVID-19 Vaccine Reward webpage or by calling 844-684-1064 (language assistance is available).

Search vaccination options at vaccines.gov. Need help finding or scheduling an appointment for a vaccine?  Call 211 or 877-947-2211. 

COVID-19 Vaccine Milestone: Over 6 Million Doses Administered

Six million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the state of Wisconsin. That means, over half of all Wisconsinites have already completed their COVID-19 vaccine series. This is a tremendous milestone, and we couldn’t have gotten here without the hard work and dedication of everyone involved. Whether you’re administering shots, scheduling appointments, sanitizing work stations, or rolling up your sleeve – thank you.

Join the 3.1 million Wisconsinites who have done their part to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their community against COVID-19.

Know the Facts: COVID-19 Illness After Vaccination

Did You Know? A breakthrough infection is when a fully vaccinated person tests positive for COVID-19.

What Causes Breakthrough Infections? COVID-19 cases are increasing, particularly among those who are not yet fully vaccinated. As more people in our communities get sick with COVID-19, we can expect to see people who have been fully vaccinated get COVID-19 too. All vaccines have breakthrough infections; no vaccine is 100%. And the purpose of the vaccine is to protect from hospitalization and death, so it’s doing its job. So – we are bound to see some breakthrough infections.

Are The Vaccines Working? Yes! The COVID-19 vaccines still do their job by preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Look at new data on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths by vaccination status.

How Can I Protect Myself? First, get the COVID-19 vaccine. And continue to follow current best health practices such as wearing a mask in public indoor spaces and staying home when sick. These measures will help stop the surge of the Delta variant across the state.

The COVID-19 vaccines remain one of the best ways to protect yourself, your family, and your community from COVID-19 and the more infectious Delta variant. For more information on vaccine effectiveness, visit: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/vaccine-safety.htm

FDA Grants Full Approval to the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine

After a thorough evaluation of the safety and effectiveness data, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty, for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age.

If you are feeling ill or if you may have been exposed to someone that has tested positive for COVID-19, visit our testing page to learn the different ways you can get tested.

Additional COVID-19 Vaccine Dose Available for Certain People Who Are Immunocompromised

DHS supports the CDC recommendation that some people who are immunocompromised get an additional dose of Pfizer (ages 12 and up) or Moderna (ages 18 and up) COVID-19 vaccine.

If you think you may be eligible, or are interested in additional information about the recommendation for an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine, visit the DHS COVID-19 Additional Dose webpage. 

Use your phone to slow the spread of COVID-19

The WI Exposure Notification app is available to download for free from the Google Play Store or enable in Settings on your iPhone. The more people who use the app, the faster we can stop the spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin.

How does it work? Once you activate the app, your phone exchanges anonymous signals with other phones that are near it for at least 15 minutes. If somebody who has the app tests positive for COVID-19, they can then send an alert using the app to those other phones. 

Are You a School, Employer, or Event Organizer? Host an On-Site Vaccination Clinic!

Schools, faith-based, community-based organizations, or community events who want to hold an on-site clinic for a group of individuals ready to be vaccinated, can communicate their interest to DHS by filling out the vaccination clinic matching survey and learn more on the DHS COVID-19 vaccine partner resources webpage. Employers can also hold an on-site clinic for their employees and their families, visit our COVID-19: Businesses, Employers, and Workers webpage to sign up.

Reducing Barriers to Advance Equity through COVID-19 Vaccination

As part of our $6.2 million grant program to promote vaccine equity, local and tribal health departments, vaccinators, and community-based organizations are finding ways to ensure underserved and historically marginalized populations have the opportunity to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Here are a few examples of the work our partners are doing:

• Partnership Community Health Center held another successful vaccination clinic at a methadone clinic in Oshkosh last week.
• Near West Side Partners, City on a Hill, and Neighborhood House of Milwaukee have 3 remaining clinics this month on August 25 and 26 at the International Learning Program at 639 N. 25^th St. from 9-11am and Neighborhood House of Milwaukee at 2819 W Richardson Place from 12-2pm.

Vaccine Distribution Summary

Check out the latest data on Wisconsin’s vaccination effort. DHS updates the allocated numbers and provider data every Tuesday, and the administered number is updated every weekday at 2 p.m.

COVID-19 by the Numbers

• Cases
• Deaths
• Disease Activity
• Race and Ethnic Disparities
• Vaccine

Testing

If you are feeling ill or if you may have been exposed to someone that has tested positive for COVID-19, visit our testing page to learn the different ways you can get tested.

• Call your provider or 211 if you have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19, even if you are fully vaccinated.
• Visit a community testing site.
• Request an at-home collection kit.

COVID-19 Resources

Resilient Wisconsin Resilient Wisconsin has information and resources to help you cope with challenging times. Access services such as hotlines, virtual support meetings, and more.

Other Languages, Graphics, and Print Materials DHS materials are available in multiple languages as electronic files you can view online or download and print. You can use these materials at home or for your business. Visit the DHS website to view what resources are available to you.

Media Briefing

Media briefing on August 19, 2021.

Social Media

Follow DHS on social media for the most up-to-date information on the COVID-19 response and vaccine rollout.

• @DHSWI on Facebook and Twitter
• dhs.wi on Instagram

Newsletter

Looking for previous newsletters? To view past versions of this newsletter, visit the DHS website.

Please do not respond to this email. Additional information about COVID-19 is available at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website.