FEMA-supported mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic to open next month in Eau Claire

A federally supported mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic will open April 8 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Zorn Arena, Gov. Tony Evers said Thursday.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Region Five will coordinate staff and support services to run the center, with Wisconsin committing 3,500 weekly vaccine doses from the state’s allocation. That could grow to up to 7,000, depending on supply.

“This new site in Eau Claire will provide safe and effective vaccines to northwest Wisconsin and be a critical resource in the fight to end this pandemic,” Kevin Sligh, acting regional administrator for FEMA Region Five, said in a statement.

It’ll be able to vaccinate 1,200 people per day. FEMA took on a similar site at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee on Monday.

The mass vaccination clinic is a joint effort with FEMA, Eau Claire City-County Health Department, UW-Eau Claire, the Department of Health Services and the state of Wisconsin.

The Department of Health Services reported 490 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, for a total of 571,220.

DHS reported two more deaths, bringing the state’s death toll to 6,556 people.

An additional 3,170 Wisconsinites were tested for the virus, for a total of 3,249,111. DHS considers 6,390 cases active.

The seven-day average for daily new cases is 409, down two from Wednesday and up 46 from a week ago.

The seven-day average for daily new deaths is five, up one from Wednesday and down three from a week ago.

As of Wednesday, the seven-day positivity rate by test was 2.2 percent, the same as Tuesday and up 0.2 percentage points from a week earlier, per preliminary data from DHS.

Wisconsin vaccinators administered 2,148,882 doses of COVID-19 vaccine through Wednesday.

Per state data, 23 percent of the state’s population, or 1,340,704 Wisconsinites, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 13.4 percent, or 761,027 Wisconsinites, have completed the vaccine series.