MILWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) – Walgreens pharmacies in Wisconsin began administering COVID-19 vaccines on Friday, February 12, through a federal program with major drugstore chains.
There are 178 localities in total in the state receiving a total of 17,800 doses. Each Walgreens store will receive about 100 doses.
“I worked for them for 49 years and, when they start doing something, they do it well,” said Mike Roets, who got the vaccine on Friday at Walgreens on Capitol and 22nd.
Mike and Mary Roets said they got the vaccine because they want to do their part. They said they had no problem getting an appointment.
“We really felt like we had a better chance with Walgreens,” said Mary Roets
More than two dozen locations in Milwaukee are administering vaccines.
Vaccines are only available to eligible people, which includes first responders, healthcare professionals and people aged 65 and over. People who are eligible for the vaccine can apply online. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said Walgreens will also create a phone line.
Joe Sauer said his normal medical provider could not give him a deadline for when people 65 and older could get the vaccine. When he learned that Walgreens would administer injections, he took the opportunity.
“Walgreens has been very good at dealing with elderly people in retirement centers, and when they agreed to do that, I thought, ‘Why not? Why not go to Walgreens? They are easy to deal with, “” said Sauer.
DHS said it chose Walgreens locations in underserved areas.
Stephanie Schauer, immunization program manager for the DHS Public Health Division, said the state used the social vulnerability index to find out where disparities exist.
“We went ahead and mapped and placed Walgreens’ sites in those areas, and that information helped inform which sites … are getting the vaccine,” said Schauer.
DHS data show that 3% of black residents in the state, 5% of Asian residents, 7.8% of Native American residents and 10.7 of white residents received at least the first dose of the vaccine.
DHS Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk said this was partly due to the racial division of groups that are eligible to receive the vaccine.
“I think that leads to a question, which is: What can we do to better diversify our health workforce, our police workforce or our fire department workforce? What are the barriers for people of color? become health professionals? ” she said. “What are the barriers that make it more difficult for someone who grew up in a black neighborhood in Milwaukee to become a nurse, pharmacist or doctor?”