VA staff will contact enrolled Veterans to schedule appointments
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee VA is ramping up its fight against COVID-19 by targeting a new age group.
The VA lowered its vaccine requirement to Veterans aged 55 and up.
"The fight has been a long fight over the last year," said Dr. Ankur Patel, COVID-19 co-incident commander for the Milwaukee VA.
There was a walk-in vaccine clinic Saturday.
"We initially started with Veterans 65 and older, but this past week we dropped that down to 55 and older," Patel said.
The move opened the door to Veterans such as 61-year-old Gary Linder.
"I was very excited that we can get in before most people my age and get the shot," Linder said. "I'd like to be able to socialize and help stop the spread and get back to as close to normal as possible."
For Army Veteran Carol Lucas, getting the shot before going back to work at Milwaukee Area Technical College was priority.
"They're bringing everyone back to work on March 15. I also have an underlying health condition, so I just wanted to be safe," Lucas said. "Don't be afraid; come and get your vaccine."
Prior to Saturday's walk-in clinic, the VA said it helped more than 10,000 Veterans get at least their first dose.
"When you look at the community versus the VA, we're really pushing into age groups the community hasn’t even thought of yet," Patel said.
Any Veteran who went to the walk-in clinic Saturday and was unable to get vaccinated due to the clinic reaching capacity, will receive an appointment to get the shot at a later date.
Staff will continue calling Veterans and using VEText to schedule appointments.
Enrolled Veterans who previously opted out of VEText or want to check to see if they are still on the list to receive texts can send a text message to 530-79 with the message "Start."
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