GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich was joined by Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach in getting their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Lambeau Field on Thursday.
Both qualified under the newest eligibility group as individuals. Streckenbach and Genrich agreed that it’s important for the community to work together to reach that 80% vaccinated mark.
“Once you are eligible for this vaccine, please sign up and get it. That’s how Troy and I signed up. We hopped on the Bellin website, scheduled appointments, coordinated things with one another, and made sure that we were able to come over here today and get that vaccination,” Genrich said. “There’s been some light-hearted conversation about people jumping online and calculating their BMI. Troy and I certainly had that experience as well…But this is a serious. Take a look at that list that’s available on DHS’s website, Bellin’s website, Prevea’s website. If you’re eligible, please sign up and get this shot.”
Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich signs in ahead of receiving his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. (WTAQ/Casey Nelson)
“We as a community get together and really fight to get our economy back, to get our lives back. There’s one way for us to do it, and that’s for us to get to that 80-percent,” Streckenbach added. “We need to get our economy back, we need to get our kids in school, we need to get back to enjoying time with our loved ones, our neighbors, and our friends. The way we can do that is working as a community together to get vaccinated.”
Streckenbach says their coordinated appointments are about educating the public about the vaccine and the importance around getting the shot.
“Take a look and sign up. If you have concerns, reach out to your doctor or reach out to others where you can get educated about the importance around the shot, the safety, what this means to our community,” Streckenbach said. “There’s a great quote right behind me by Vince Lombardi that says ‘There’s only one way to succeed, and that’s to give it everything.’ As a community, we need to give it everything to this.”
Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy was vaccinated about a month ago, and reiterated the message.
“Never been happier to be 65. I was vaccinated, had my second dose about a month ago with no side effects at all. I’m feeling great…It is not only a relief to get vaccinated, it also gives you all kinds of hope,” Murphy said. “The sooner we all get vaccinated, we’re going to have a full stadium at Lambeau Field in the fall. That’s the key…Neither these two gentlemen are obese. Under BMI, the standards there are very different. Go and check on it! A lot of people, under the BMI category, will be able to get vaccinated. I’ll just say that.”
“Like Mr. Murphy said, we want a packed stadium here. From the city’s perspective, we also want events to return as much as possible to normal this summer,” Genrich added.
After receiving the initial dose, both Genrich and Streckenbach were in high spirits as they walked towards the 15-minute waiting area.
“I feel great! It was extremely easy, very efficient. As far as getting the shot, I didn’t even know I was getting it,” Streckenbach told WTAQ News. “I’m happy I got my first dose. I was happy that I was one of those eligible within the criteria. Again, when you look at the eligibility list, there’s a lot of people that are eligible…Not based on because I’m an elected official or because we are public health, but because of my weight that allows me to be eligible for the shot.”
For those looking to sign up, there is availability at the Lambeau Field clinic – and that could expand in the coming weeks.
“When we went to sign up last week, there were plenty of slots available today. So that’s why we picked today. There were a lot of openings, [even] right now, there’s a lot of capacity available at this location,” Streckenbach said.
“We’ve been vaccinating roughly 800 people a day for a couple weeks and really it’s gone well. The main message is to encourage everybody, as soon as you are able and there’s vaccines available for you, to get vaccinated,” Murphy said. “Right now we’re up in the atrium. Should the number [of vaccines] increase, then when the weather turns better we do have plans to move into the concourse where we could accommodate more people.”
To learn more about the vaccine or sign up for a spot at Bellin’s Lambeau Field clinic, click here.
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