Governor Evers And DHS Urge Covid-19 Vaccinations Before School Year

Thursday, July 22nd, 2021 -- 12:47 PM

Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) encourage anyone attending school in the upcoming 2021-2022 school year to get their COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. This includes children ages 12 and up as well as anyone planning to attend in-person classes at a college or university.

According to CDC and DHS guidance, adults and adolescents who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine(link is external) after close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19. That means that parents and guardians do not need to worry about their fully vaccinated children having to miss out on in-person school, after school activities such as sports, and other extracurricular activities after being exposed to COVID-19. In addition, many places across the state, and some schools, will not be requiring people who are fully vaccinated to wear masks indoors.

Confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 have been increasing over the past several weeks after a period of regular decline. The 7-day average of new confirmed cases stands at 242, which represents a 303% increase since the 7-day average reached a recent low of 60 cases per day just two and a half weeks ago. This comes amidst reports from states across the nation experiencing surges in newly reported cases, most commonly attributed to the more-transmissible Delta variant. All three COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized for use in the United States show promising results at preventing severe illness from COVID-19.

To find a COVID-19 vaccine location in your community visit Vaccines.gov(link is external), or call 211 or 877-947-2211. Select daycares are offering free childcare during your COVID-19 vaccine appointment, and select CVS and Walgreen pharmacies are offering extended hours on Fridays. Learn about these resources at the DHS Find a Vaccine Appointment webpage.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.