For the Tomahawk Leader

LINCOLN COUNTY – The Lincoln County Health Department (LCHD) will hold free COVID-19 vaccine booster clinics in February and March.

The clinics will take place at LCHD, 607 N. Sales Street, Merrill. Tuesday clinics will be held from 3 p.m.  to 5 p.m., and clinics on Thursdays will run from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The final clinic is slated for Thursday, March 16 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The Pfizer bivalent booster vaccine will be available to anyone age 12 and older at no cost. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Clinics are ADA compliant, and translated materials are available, LCHD said.

“Over the last year, LCHD partnered with AMI Expeditionary Healthcare to provide COVID-19 clinics,” LCHD stated. “The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) contracted with AMI to operate community-based COVID-19 vaccine clinics. However, operations ended as of Jan. 14.”

“We as a health department wanted to continue to offer this service to the public and are happy to announce we will be offering clinics twice a week through March,” said Deanna Engel, LCHD Public Health Nurse. “Assuring adequate access to COVID-19 vaccines is a priority for the health department.”

Citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), LCHD said COVID-19 vaccines “continue to be effective in preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death.”

“In fact, for adults who received the updated bivalent booster, the risk of visiting an emergency room or being hospitalized was reduced by 50%,” LCHD stated.

Pre-registration is encouraged for the clinics, but walk-ins are welcome. To pre-register, visit www.bit.ly/3JbkF1d.

For more information or assistance with registration, call LCHD’s COVID-19 phone line at 715-539-1375.