REPORTS THAT MORE THAN 23% OF
WISCONSIN'S ADULT POPULATION HAS
HAD AT LEAST ONE VACCINE, WITH
MORE SUPPLY ON THE WAY.
THE UPTAKE INCREASES AS MASS AND
COMMUNITY VACCINE LYN NAIKS
ACROSS THE STATE THE ADD TO THE
OTHER SITES, WITH ELIGIBILITY
OPENING UP QUICKLY.
LAMBEAU FIELD TURNED INTO A
VACCINE CLINIC THIS WEEK AND
WILL CONTINUE AS A PLACE TO GET
SHOTS, ATHLETE UNTIL THE PACKER
PLAYERS THEMSELVES NEED THE
SPACE BACK.
FOR MORE ON THIS, WE TURN TO
DR. MICHAEL LANDRUM, INFECTIOUS
DISEASE SPECIALIST AT BELLIN
HEALTH IN GREEN BAY WHICH
PARTNERED WITH THE PACKERS AND
BROWN COUNTY ON THE CLINIC.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO IN YOUR MIND HOW IMPORTANT
IS A COMMUNITY CLINIC LIKE THE
ONE AT LAMBEAU TOWARD GETTING
PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY
VACCINATED?
>> I THINK IT'S INCREDIBLY
IMPORTANT.
WE NEED PLACES WHERE PEOPLE CAN
GO TO GET VACCINATED THAT ARE
WIDELY AVAILABLE, EASY TO GET
TO, CAN GET LARGE NUMBERS OF
PEOPLE THROUGH IN A SHORT PERIOD
OF TIME IN AN EFFICIENT MANNER
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
IT'S A RACE BETWEEN THE VACCINE
AND THE VIRUS RIGHT NOW, AND SO
WE NEED SITES LIKE LAMBEAU FIELD
AND OTHER LARGE COMMUNITY SITES
JUST TO DO THIS EXACT THING.
>> SO DOES BEING AT LAMBEAU ADD
A LITTLE LUSTER TO THE OPERATION
AND DRAW PEOPLE IN?
>> I THINK MAYBE IT DOES.
I MEAN, IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE
COMFORTABLE MAYBE TO GO TO
LAMBEAU FIELD THAN SOME STERILE
OFFICE BUILDING OR A REPURPOSED
BOX STORE.
WE'VE BEEN DOING SOME TESTING AT
AN OLD SEARS SITE HERE IN TOWN.
BUT LAMBEAU FIELD IS A LITTLE
BIT MORE COMFORTABLE, PEOPLE ARE
FAMILIAR WITH IT.
SO MAYBE IN THAT REGARD, MAYBE
IT DOES HELP.
>> HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU EXPECT
TO GET THEIR VACCINES THERE?
>> RIGHT NOW ANYWHERE FROM 3,000
TO 5,000 PER WEEK.
WE HOPE TO DOUBLE THAT OR GO
HIGHER THAN THAT IN THE COMING
WEEKS AS VACCINE SUPPLY OPENS
UP.
>> WHAT IS THE SITUATION WITH
VACCINE SUPPLY AND ITS
PREDICTABILITY RIGHT NOW?
>> IT'S BEEN GETTING BETTER.
FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS, IT REAL
REALLY WAS NOT VERY CERTAIN.
BUT GETTING BETTER.
THE SUPPLY OF PFIZER VACCINE
THAT WE'VE BEEN GETTING THROUGH
THE STATE HAS BEEN INCREASING
AND HAS BECOME MORE RELIABLE.
MODERNA VACCINE HAS BEEN
RELIABLE, BUT NOT INCREASING AS
MUCH.
OF COURSE NOW WE HAVE THE
JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE.
I IMAGINE WITHIN A FEW WEEKS
THAT SUPPLY WILL BE GOING UP AND
BECOMING MORE READILY AVAILABLE.
>> SO IF PEOPLE WERE GOING TO GO
TO THE LAMBEAU SITE FOR THEIR
VACCINES, WOULD THEY KNOW AHEAD
OF TIME WHAT KIND THEY WOULD BE
GIVEN OR IS IT JUST KIND OF
WHATEVER YOU GET THAT WEEK?
>> SO PREDOMINANTLY RIGHT NOW
IT'S WHATEVER WE HAVE AVAILABLE.
WE'RE STILL NOT AT A POINT WHERE
WE CAN LET SOMEONE CHOOSE THE
TYPE OF VACCINE THAT THEY WOULD
GET.
WHATEVER WE HAVE IS WHAT WE'RE
GOING TO ADMINISTER.
RIGHT NOW THAT'S PREDOMINANTLY
THE PFIZER VACCINE.
>> HOW ENCOURAGED ARE YOU BY THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE GETTING
VACCINES IN WISCONSIN AS
REPORTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH LATE THIS WEEK, SOMETHING
LIKE 70% OF PEOPLE 65 AND OLDER
HAVE HAD VACCINES.
>> I'VE BEEN REALLY ENCOURAGED
BY THAT.
WE'VE SEEN OVERWHELMING DEMAND
IN THE GREEN BAY AREA, NORTHEAST
WISCONSIN AS WELL.
SO THAT HAS BEEN VERY, VERY
ENCOURAGING.
I REALLY HOPE THAT THE DEMAND
LIKE THAT CONTINUES AS WE EXPAND
TO THESE OTHER GROUPS THAT WILL
BE STARTING TO VACCINATE
BEGINNING EARLY NEXT WEEK.
>> THAT'S A BIG GROUP, SOME TWO
MILLION PEOPLE.
DO YOU EXPECT A LOT OF PEOPLE TO
RUSH THE DOORS, AS IT WERE?
>> IF THAT -- YES.
THAT'S KIND OF WHAT HAPPENED
WHEN WE OPENED UP TO THOSE WHO
WERE 65 AND OLDER.
WE HAD A BIG RUSH AT FIRST
CALLING AND CRASHED SOME OF OUR
ONLINE REGISTRATION SITES.
SO I IMAGINE THERE WILL BE
SIMILAR DEMAND LIKE THAT
INITIALLY AS WE ROLL OUT TO THE
NEXT PHASE.
>> SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT THE
JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE IS
INFERIOR TO PFIZER OR MODERNA.
WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON THAT?
>> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
YOU LOOK AT THE OVERALL
INFECTION RATES.
FOR JOHNSON & JOHNSON MAYBE 66%
TO 77% VERSUS PFIZER OR MODERNA
BEING 95%.
AT FACE VALUE YOU THINK, WELL, I
WANT THE VACCINE WITH THE
HIGHEST EFFECTIVENESS.
AND I SAY TO THOSE PEOPLE THAT
ARE CONCERNED, YOU HAVE TO
CONSIDER THAT THE JOHNSON &
JOHNSON VACCINE WAS DONE AT A
DIFFERENT TIME.
SO IT'S NOT A HEAD TO HEAD
COMPARISON.
IT WAS DONE LATER.
WE HAVE MORE VARIANTS
CIRCULATING NOW.
THE NUMBERS MAY HAVE BEEN
IMPACTED BY THAT FOR SURE.
BUT THE VACCINE STILL IS
INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE, VERY
EFFECTIVE AT PREVENTING THOSE
SERIOUS ILLNESSES THAT RESULT IN
HOSPITALIZATION AND DEATH, JUST
AS GOOD AS THE PFIZER AND
MODERNA.
AND THAT'S WHY YOU TAKE THE
VACCINE.
>> WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE
HESITANT TO TAKE THE VACCINE?
WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THAT?
>> WELL, WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT
HERE TO TRY TO EDUCATE OUR
PATIENT POPULATION AND THE LOCAL
COMMUNITY.
THERE ARE LOTS OF REASONS WHY
PEOPLE CITE FOR BEING HESITANT
ABOUT IT.
AND I THINK YOU REALLY COMBAT
THAT JUST WITH EDUCATION AS BEST
AS YOU CAN.
IT IS CHALLENGING IN SOME CASES,
FOR SURE, AND YOU REALLY HAVE TO
SOME SOME CASES WITH PATIENTS
COME ALONGSIDE THEM AND RELY ON
THAT RELATIONSHIP THAT YOU'VE
HAD WITH THEM MAYBE THAT YOU'VE
CREATED OVER THE YEARS TO TRY TO
REASSURE THEM THAT IT IS SAFE
AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY
NEEDED.
>> ALL RIGHT.
DR. MICHAEL