Milwaukee Brewers announce they have been vaccinated for COVID-19 as team, partner with city of Milwaukee to endorse vaccinations

As of today, the state of Wisconsin has opened up vaccinations to all people age 16 or older. Though availability varies by area and still is difficult to come across for most people, supply is still building and optimism is growing that we can reach the level of immunity necessary to return to normal life. The Milwaukee Brewers are doing their part, announcing today that they have been vaccinated as a team.

The Brewers did not reveal the full details of the team vaccinations, but they did release some data. GM David Stearns confirmed that the Brewers received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Stearns did not confirm that the team reached the 85% vaccination level, just that “a good chunk” of them did, and that the team was well-educated on it. If the team did reach 85% necessary to relax protocols, they would still need to wait two weeks before they can. In addition, Kirsten Johnson of the Milwaukee Department of Health attended yesterday’s game, and was impressed by the team’s protocols.

One story that came out of the team’s announcement was from Brent Suter. During the offseason, he and his family contracted COVID-19. Suter believes that it came from a trip to the grocery store, and he passed it on to his family from there. For him, it felt like the flu, and was even in his lungs a bit. He and his wife also lost their sense of smell and taste for two weeks. Thankfully, they have recovered, but it was a scary time for them.

The one concern is convincing everyone to get a vaccination, as vaccine hesitancy is a problem. A recent survey conducted by Carnegie Mellon university found that 23% of Americans are still hesitant to receive a vaccine. Vaccine hesitancy can range from being worried about a factor with it (side effects, cost, mistrust, etc.) to full refusal to receive it. That is why members of the team are also partnering with the city of Milwaukee to push for vaccinations. The sooner that vaccination levels are high enough for herd immunity, the faster life can return to normal.

Here’s the PSA that the Brewers put out earlier today: