Local groups effort more vaccine clinics as doctors urge people to get vaccinated

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that the US is "going in the wrong direction" as the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise. He's urging people to get vaccinated. Local doctors are too. 

“It is as simple as if we’re all vaccinated, hanging out together in large groups, however large you want, that becomes a safe thing to do,” said Dr. Pothoff, an emergency medicine doctor at UW Health. 

At the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, in the Westlawn Garden neighborhood, a vaccine clinic pop-up was held Monday, July 26.  

Various organizations collaborated to bring the pop-up clinic, as well as door-to-door canvassing to bring vaccines into homes in the Westlawn Gardens. Alverno College also had a tent set up with health information. 

Jackie Burrell is the president of the Westlawn Gardens resident Council. 

“Some people are afraid, some people don’t know what’s behind it, and yes some people just… don’t know,” said Burrell. 

Burrell says she was one of those people. That’s why she’s out here now spreading the word and helping others get vaccinated. 

Right in front of the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center is a food pantry that already brings people to the area. 

“We have people coming in and out, getting donations for food,” said Burrell. “Some of them might have vaccinations, some of them might not have been vaccinated, so it’s really important that we reach out to them and make sure.” 

Dr. Fauci continues to plead with people to get vaccinated and he warned that people may all have to go back to mask wearing indoors. 

Dr. Pothoff says the delta variant is much more contagious, even if you’re outside in large crowds. 

“Unfortunately there’s a lot of unvaccinated people who threw away their masks and took caution to the wind as far as distancing and that’s where we’re running into problems,” said Dr. Pothoff. “We know that masks are effective, are unlikely to transmit the disease so if we can do the things that are less oppressive, i.e. masking and social distancing, we can avoid things that are more oppressive such as lockdowns.” 

The Milwaukee Housing Authority and other organizations will be out in the Westlawn Garden neighborhood until Wednesday, July 29, helping people get vaccinated.