Vaccinations at Wisconsin Center 'going well' ahead of Phase 1B opening in March

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- In less than three weeks, those in Phase 1B will be eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Today we visited the Wisconsin Center for an update on progress there and testing numbers in Milwaukee.

“I’m just so grateful," said Patricia Scheldroup.

The 81-year-old Greendale resident called her process beautiful.

A quick shot, and she finished with the COVID-19 vaccine series.

This was her second and final shot.

“Everything has gone perfect. I had no reaction at all. My arm wasn’t even sore," she explained.

Leaders inside the Wisconsin Center say adults 65 and older is the main group coming in now.

But they are still vaccinating those in Phase 1A – including health care workers and first responders.

Dr. Nick Tomaro, with the Milwaukee Health Department, said they project to do about 10,000 vaccines a week here.

“Things are going well," said Tomaro.

He said they’ll continue when Phase 1B opens – as long as the doses are there.

“The narrative is really when we receive more vaccine, we’ll be able to vaccinate more people," he said.

Coronavirus testing in Milwaukee has also gone down since last month.

The first three weeks of January averaged more than 9,000 tests.

In the week of February, that number dropped to around 4,000.

With new variants popping up in Wisconsin, Dr. Tomaro said testing is still vitally important.

“And this is the kind of balance that we see that case rates get better, people may let down their guard," he said.

Those in Phase 1B will be eligible for the vaccine on March 1.