As the 2022-2023 school year begins, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) urges parents and guardians to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19 . DHS also encourages anyone planning to attend in-person classes at a college or university to stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines. 

“Our mission as we approach the school year is to ensure that every student and our dedicated educators and staff can stay safe, healthy, and in school,” said DHS Deputy Secretary Deb Standridge. “A critical part of making this possible is ensuring that everyone is vaccinated against COVID-19. Even as new variants emerge, the COVID-19 vaccines continue to do their job of preventing serious illness that can lead to hospitalization and even death. We urge all parents and guardians to help protect our school communities and protect their children against the virus.” 

Everyone 6 months and older is eligible to receive vaccination against COVID-19. Nearly 389,000 Wisconsin school-age youth ages 5 to 17 have already received their primary series of a COVID-19 vaccine. However, approximately 75% of Wisconsin 5-to-11-year-olds and about 40% of 12-to-17-year-olds are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines remain available to all Wisconsinites at no cost.

View the entire news release.