WISCONSIN – As COVID-19 cases increase locally, state, and nationwide, Prevea Health urges all eligible community members to become vaccinated and utilize COVID-19 testing resources to prevent the spread of this highly contagious disease and its aggressive variant(s) as soon as possible.

“The most important thing you can do for yourself, loved ones and fellow community members is to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” said Dr. Ashok Rai, President and CEO, Prevea Health. “COVID-19 vaccines are readily available across the state. Please, do not wait any longer. Lives and livelihoods depend on it. As long as a significant number of people remain unvaccinated, the virus will continue to replicate and could create additional, dangerous variants. At this point, it is a race against the continued replication of this virus.”

Dr. Rai expands on the importance of becoming vaccinated as soon as possible in a new episode of Prevea Health’s podcast, Plug in to Health available on all podcast platforms and at prevea.com/podcast. Look for: COVID-19: Get Vaccinated, Don’t Wait!

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports COVID-19 cases, and related hospitalizations and deaths are on the rise across the country; and more than 97% of people becoming hospitalized with COVID-19 now are unvaccinated. In Wisconsin, the Department of Health Services on Monday reported the highest number of new COVID-19 cases since May.

Prevea Health offers COVID-19 vaccination at no cost throughout the Greater Green Bay region, Oconto Falls, Gillett, Lena, Mountain, Suring, Marinette, Shawano, Sheboygan, Kohler, Oostburg, Manitowoc, Altoona, Augusta, Chippewa Falls, Cornell, Ladysmith, Eau Claire, Menomonie, Mondovi and Rice Lake. For more information about COVID-19 vaccination through Prevea Health, please visit  www.prevea.com/vaccine or call 1 (833) 344-4373.

Testing also remains critical in stopping the spread of COVID-19. While becoming infected with COVID-19 following vaccination is significantly rare at this time, it is possible. Therefore, anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should be tested immediately.
Prevea Health offers COVID-19 testing to anyone experiencing one or more symptoms of the illness; those exposed to another person diagnosed with COVID-19; and those who have been in close contact with a person currently quarantined for suspected COVID-19 at no cost in the Greater Green Bay region, Oconto Falls, Marinette, Shawano, Plymouth, Sheboygan, Kohler, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Altoona, Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, Rice Lake, Ladysmith, Menomonie and Mondovi. For more information about COVID-19 testing through Prevea Health, please visit  www.prevea.com/COVID19 or call (920) 431-1810 for testing in Eastern Wisconsin and (715) 717-4582 for testing in Western Wisconsin.

COVID-19 symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and/or new loss of taste or smell.

About Prevea Health
Founded in Green Bay, Wis. in 1996, Prevea Health is a health care organization that provides high-quality, primary and specialty health care in 80+ locations across Northern, Eastern and Western Wisconsin in clinic and hospital settings. It is partnered with six Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) hospitals across Wisconsin to provide patients a system of highly-coordinated care, close to home: HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay; HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan; HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls; HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire; and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls. For more information, visit  www.prevea.com.