MADISON, Wis. All Wisconsin residents are expected to be eligible for the vaccine by May, health officials announced Thursday.
The announcement comes as more than half a million people in Wisconsin have completed their two-dose Covid-19 vaccination system and been given more than 1.5 million shots, according to the latest data from the Department of Health Services. Wisconsin has climbed to the top of the nation’s vaccine rankings in recent weeks, with nearly 17% of the state’s population receiving at least one dose and more than a quarter of the 65+ individuals of the state.
Wisconsin’s Location Nationwide
If you arrange vaccination of vaccines across the country, there are a variety of criteria you can use to compare progress between states. Some move forward, measured by the percentage of their population who got the first chance; others are measured using both shots (or completed vaccinations; the data do not yet include the Johnson & Johnson single shot regime.)
Government Tony Evers cited some of these statistics in a Twitter post on March 3, which ranked Wisconsin as 1st in the Middle East for total doses administered per 100K in population, and 3rd in the country for percentage doses used – according to a New York Times table. Both measures are based on data obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a system that sometimes conflicts with state-level vaccine data over the course of the process due to reporting delays and other factors. About two weeks ago, the CDC began awarding grants to federal agencies within the state’s count, which resulted in numbers being different from what was reported on the DHS website, because state health officials only tracked the grants that made directly to Wisconsin.
But regardless of the benchmark, Wisconsin has improved across the board compared to earlier in the launch when the CDC consistently placed it near the bottom of the Midwest and nationwide rankings. Health experts point to the measurement of how many available doses have been administered as one of the most important in measuring progress with the rollout.
“The answer is slow and steady winning the race,” Ann Lewandowski told the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative. (She is also chair, but did not speak for the Council of State responsible for making recommendations to the state on vaccine-eligible phases, a group that has not met since January.) ‘Know that we having no vaccine in freezers or refrigerators is critical as it is a measure of efficiency within the delivery system. ”
Criticism, worry stay
One of the most common problems cited by Wisconsin citizens is the lack of fitness for adults under 65 with a health condition that increases the risk of severe cases of Covid-19. The DHS has chosen to be eligible for teachers, child care and other essential workers – once more than half of Wisconsin’s 65+ population has been vaccinated. Younger adults with underlying medical conditions are being considered for the next phase – but the phase may not start for weeks.
DHS’s deputy secretary, Julie Willems Van Dijk, announced on Thursday that the state will probably make their announcements next week about who will be eligible in phase 1C. The state has previously indicated that they consider younger adults at high risk medical conditions as part of the phase, as currently contained in the CDC’s Phase 1C recommendations. Part of the decision, however, is to determine what conditions should be included in the list of those who are high risk and eligible.
In Minnesota, medically at-risk adults are on the list for the next phase, once 70% of the state’s 65+ population is vaccinated. In Illinois, some parts of the state have recently opened up to adults with certain medical conditions, but other areas are holding out because of the limited supply.
Currently, the youngest eligible groups in Wisconsin include teachers, child care, workers in grocery stores, other essential workers confronted by the public, and essential health care workers who are not at the forefront, and people in congregations, including inmates. They joined health workers, long-term caregivers, police and firefighters and people over the age of 65 in individuals eligible for a vaccine in Wisconsin.
Finish line in sight
President Joe Biden announced earlier this week that vaccines would be available to all by the end of May, two months earlier than earlier, under a groundbreaking manufacturing partnership with rival pharmacy giants Merck and Johnson & Johnson.
Everyone would be eligible in Wisconsin by the end of May, Willems Van Dijk said in a press release on Thursday, but the actual dose administration could last until early July. This will depend on how much has been vaccinated, and how quickly the stock is administered.
“We have no unlimited vaccine supply,” said Willems Van Dijk. “We’ll just have enough to reach everyone.”
COPYRIGHT 2021 THROUGH CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCASTED, REWRITTED OR DISTRIBUTED.