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On Thursday, federal health officials announced that fully vaccinated people could largely put away their masks and dispense with social distancing — indoors and out. But large swaths of the U.S. population still are not vaccinated, including children ages 12 to 15 who are newly eligible to receive the shot. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Amy Schwabe reports that pediatricians could be the next weapon in the war against the pandemic. “Pediatricians have more experience than other doctors in talking to people who have questions about what goes into their bodies or their children’s bodies, particularly vaccines,” Schwabe writes. “And they are often trusted resources for parents, comfortable in sharing their expertise in an effective manner.”
Top stories
CDC: Fully vaccinated people can largely ditch masks indoors — Associated Press
Pediatricians deal with vaccine hesitancy all the time. Here’s how they are talking to parents about the COVID vaccine. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Vaccinations of 12- to 15-year-olds begins in Wisconsin — Associated Press
COVID-19 vaccination extended to more youth in Wisconsin as Gov. Tony Evers mulls vaccine incentives — Wisconsin State Journal
Area health groups begin offering child Pfizer vaccines immediately — WAOW
Evers: Small businesses will remain a priority for federal COVID-19 aid, despite funding cut — WPR
Animal shelters see slight uptick in rehoming of pets — WBAY
Maple School Board removes quarantine requirement for in-school close contacts — Superior Telegram
Quotable
“Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities – large or small — without wearing a mask or physically distancing. If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic.”
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Protection.
Data to note
Here’s a look at the Department of Health Services’ vaccine dashboard, which showed Thursday that 44.8% of Wisconsinites have received at least one vaccine dose, including 82.6% of those ages 65 and older. Meanwhile, 38.5% of Wisconsinites are fully vaccinated, including 77.6% of those older than 65. Racial disparities persist in distributing vaccines. The shares of Black, Hispanic and Native American residents to receive a dose remain below that of white residents.
On Thursday, the state DHS reported a seven-day average of 465 new daily infections. The state also reported 18 new COVID-19 deaths, for a full toll of 6,953.
WisContext offers this visualization:
Find a vaccine site near you
DHS and the federal government have partnered with Vaccine Finder to help Wisconsinites find vaccinations. Vaccinations are often by appointment, but providers are increasingly offering walk-in options. In addition, people seeking COVID-19 shots can text their ZIP code to 438829 to find nearby vaccine providers.
COVID-19 fact-checking
Not sure if something you heard about COVID-19 is true? FactCheck.org offers this page full of explainers — and debunking of common distortions — about the disease to help you sort out fact from fiction.
Resilient Wisconsin
People helping others and showing resilience during this time of anxiety. Send suggestions by tagging us on social media — @wisconsinwatch — or emailing us: tips@wisconsinwatch.org.
Gifford student wins national SC Johnson hand sanitizer design contest — Journal Times
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Vaccinated against COVID-19? It’s OK to go back to normal — 5/13/21 is a post from WisconsinWatch.org, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
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