Pop-up clinic encourages minority communities to get vaccinated

MILWAUKEE (CBS58)--A pop-up vaccine clinic held Sunday, May 30 on Milwaukee’s north side. It's another push to get shots in arms.

Health officials say the people who are eligible to get vaccinated fit into three categories, those who are vaccinated, people who completely refuse to get it and those who are still unsure.

“In order to go back to normal life, we have to get to that 70 percent mark,"Dr. Hashim Zaiback said. He's from Hyatt Pharmacy.

The end goal is herd immunity, but Dr. Zaibak says vaccination percentages in the minority communitIes are significantly low.

“It’s a fact, disparity is a fact, we can’t really hide it anymore, we just need to work with it.”

United Healthcare and Hyatt pharmacy partnering with Mason Temple Church on Sunday. They collaborated to set up a vaccine clinic., 
urging those who are unsure about the vaccine, getting misinformation or may have questions.

“We don’t want to make anybody do anything we want to suggest to them with the right information so they can get the vaccination," Pastor Sean Tatum said. 

Forty-one percent of Wisconsin’s overall population has been fully vaccinated.

“As a state we are seeing some great progress in that space, we’re also seeing pockets in the state where people are more reserved,"Kevin Moore said. He's the CEO of United Healthcare Community Plan of Wisconsin.

Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes was a speaker at the panel discussion. He hopes to be a force to wipe out vaccine myths. 

“There’s going to be people who refuse vaccines in general that’s just sort of par for the course, it’s an unfortunate reality we’re dealing with especially as disinformation is allowed to persist on social media but the fact is I think there are enough people.”

He says he’s not against incentives for people to get the vaccine but it’s to be determined on a case by case basis.

“We will keep a close eye and figure out what best practices actually are," Lt. Barnes said.