How to get a COVID-19 shot in Wisconsin: Vaccine hunters share tips | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Bram Sable-Smith (Wisconsin Watch/WPR)
March 16, 2021
RobinDavis was thrilled to learn that Wisconsin deemed her family eligible forCOVID-19 vaccinations starting March 1. That offered hope that she and herchildren could soon safely venture outside their Milwaukee home.
Forthe past year, the 56-year-old has mostly hunkered down with her son, 26, anddaughter, 23 — both of whom are on the autism spectrum.
Thathas proved lonely and difficult, Davis said, but ultimately worthwhile. Herhusband of 30-plus years died of pneumonia in 2019, and she fears catchingCOVID-19. She remains the legal guardian of her adult children, responsible formedical and financial decisions.
Davishas her own physical disabilities, and the family participates in IRIS, Wisconsin’s self-directed programfor frail elders and adults with disabilities. That’s why all three qualifiedto receive vaccinations this month.
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ButDavis wasn’t sure how to book an appointment. The signup websites she foundfailed to demystify the process.
That’swhen she saw a TMJ4 News story about a Facebook group called Milwaukee & WI
Area Vaccine Hunters and Angels, where Wisconsinites share tips forsnagging appointments.
Shejoined the group and posted her story. That connected her with group founderBob Orech, who said he made it his “personal mission” to find vaccines for theDavis family. Orech linked her to a Walgreens pharmacist he met through thegroup. Davis and both children received their first shots the next day.
“Ithink that’s one of the stories I’m most proud about,” said Orech, 47, a retailregional manager in Germantown, Wisconsin.
Thefast-growing Facebook group has helped many Wisconsinites navigate the state’sCOVID-19 vaccine bureaucracy. Wisconsin is among the nation’s
leadersin distributing inoculations to those who want them, but demand still outpacessupply, and some eligible residents still struggle to find appointments.
TheFacebook group is among dozens popping up nationwide in which members share insights forbooking vaccinations. Some, like Orech, even schedule appointments for others.They are known as “angels.”
Orechstarted the group in late February after members of a Chicago Facebook grouphelped him find appointments for his parents in suburban Chicago. If thatapproach worked in Chicago, he figured, why not Wisconsin? As of Thursdayafternoon, about 2,700 people had joined the Milwaukee group.
Wisconsinhas administered more than 1.8 million vaccines as of Thursday. About one infive Wisconsinites has received at least one vaccine dose, and more than one in10 is fully vaccinated, according to the
Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Wisconsin Watch and WPR spoke toeight residents who received vaccines. Here are their insights.
Work with a medical provider
LisaKirchberg, 67, didn’t have much trouble getting vaccinated in Milwaukee. Herhealth care provider — which is connected with Froedtert and the MedicalCollege of Wisconsin — sent her a letter in February saying that she waseligible and could book an appointment over the phone.
Shefollowed the instructions and received her first vaccine dose on Feb. 13 andscheduled her second shot for March 15.
“Ireally want this. I’ve never been afraid of it,” said Kirchberg, adding thatshe has closely followed COVID-19 protocols while living in a building with 500people.
Research when and where to sign up
Eachmedical provider has its own system for booking vaccine appointments.
DHSmaintains a searchable map of vaccine providers in Wisconsin,which displays vaccine registration websites for health care providers, countyhealth departments and pharmacies. Some local governments offer their own
portalsto sign up.
Butappointment slots can fill up fast. Orech said members of his group gleanedpatterns revealing the best times to book at certain locations. Walgreens, forexample, seems to begin accepting new appointments daily at 6 a.m., offeringearly birds a leg up. Other pharmacies like CVS, Walmart and Meijer are movingtargets, Orech said.
Manywebsites require vaccine seekers to create an account. Orech suggests doingthat early to shave off precious time once bookings open.
Be willing to travel
Onesupply chain worker in Madison qualified for vaccination on March 1 whenWisconsin expanded eligibility to non-frontline essential health care workers.The 24-year-old asked not to be named saying he feared negative attention frompeople who might deem him undeserving because of his age. He triedunsuccessfully for three days to schedule an appointment at a Walgreens inMadison.
Onthe fourth day — as he lay half-awake, acquiescing to his Australian cattledog’s demand to go outside — he realized that scheduling an appointment in hishometown of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, might be easier. He booked a Walgreensappointment there on his first try.
Hesaid the hour-long drive last week was worthwhile. But he feels guilty aboutgetting a shot while his father — who is younger than 65 but consideredhigh-risk for COVID-19 — still is not eligible.
OnThursday, Wisconsin announced it would expand vaccine eligibility to peoplewith certain medical
conditionsbeginning March 29. DHS expects to make all residents ages 16 and oldereligible sometime in May.
Ask for leftovers
TomKastle, a 64-year-old Madison folk singer, actor and tall ship sailor, earnedmuch of his pre-pandemic income from concerts he played at nursing homes in andaround Wisconsin. That businesses dried up as long-term care facilities— now linked to 30% of COVID-19-related
deathsin Wisconsin —  barred visitors tocontrol spread of the disease.
Afriend and fellow folk singer recently sent Kastle a postcard billing himselfas “vaccinated, masked and performing live.” Another friend told Kastle thatnursing homes were vaccinating their independent contractors. Kastle put twoand two together. When a nursing home solicited him for a St. Patrick’s Dayconcert, Kastle asked about getting vaccinated. He received his first dose on Feb.24.
Othershave managed to score leftover vaccines.
Orechsaid his Facebook group members have called pharmacies at day’s end to ask forleftovers that might otherwise expire and be thrown away — due to missedappointments, for example.
“Pharmacistslove their customers. They really do,” Orech said. “They look out for ourfamilies more than we ever realize it.”
Somevaccination sites offer standby lists for people who agree to show up quicklyfor a leftover dose. Other vaccine hunters have shown up to vaccination sitesunprompted to inquire about extras near closing time. More than a millionpeople have also signed up for extras through Dr. B, a nationwide web startup that matches people with localproviders.
Find walk-in appointments
Manyvaccine hunting tips involve time, technology and resources, illustrating howvulnerable communities could lose out. Hashim Zaibak, a founder and pharmacistat Hayat Pharmacy in Milwaukee, sees that problemclearly.
Thelimitations of poor internet access surfaced earlier in the pandemic, Zaibaksaid, when Gov. Tony Evers’ administration unveiled a COVID-19 testingregistration website that required an email address. Hayat, which has more thana dozen locations, also offers testing to residents — some of whom lackaccess to a smartphone, email address or any internet access at all. Some donot speak English.
That’swhy the pharmacy hired employees to register community members for testing.
“Wetold our employees, ‘Hey, this platform was meant for somebody who’s young,tech-savvy, knows how to maneuver the internet. But people in our community maynot be able to do that. So help them,’ ” Zaibak said.
Vaccineaccess poses a similar challenge. Hayat’s solution: offer walk-in appointmentsat several locations, including six days a week at 813 W. Layton Ave. inMilwaukee, the pharmacy’s headquarters.
“We’vehad slow days when we just vaccinated 50 or 60 people, and we’ve had somereally, really busy days that we were getting close to 1,000 a day,” Zaibaksaid.
Zaibaksaid Hayat has administered more doses than the state expected it would, andthe pharmacies have not wasted doses. If extra doses remain near the end of theday, staffers immediately call eligible people waiting on Hayat’s standby list.
Searching for a second dose
Davis,the Milwaukee widow, looks forward to completing vaccinations for her family.She looks forward to going outside more often with her children and friends andbreathing fresh air. Her daughter works 15 hours a week at Goodwill. Davishopes the vaccine will provide enough protection for her son to start workingpart-time again.
Butfirst, they need a second round of doses, and they have yet to schedule thoseappointments. The Davis family initially received the Moderna vaccine, and thecompany recommends waiting a month between doses.
Asthat date approaches, Davis is again hunting for appointments.
This story comes from a partnership
of Wisconsin Watch, Wisconsin Public Radio and NPR. Bram Sable-Smith is WPR’s Mike Simonson Memorial
Investigative Fellow embedded in the newsroom of Wisconsin Watch (www.WisconsinWatch.org), which collaborates
with WPR, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and the University of
Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works
created, published, posted or disseminated by Wisconsin Watch do not
necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its
affiliates.