MADISON, Wis. – People 16 and older with certain medical conditions will be next in line to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Wisconsin.
The state Department of Health Services said 2 to 3 million Wisconsinites are eligible for vaccinations by the end of March. This is because state health officials have identified twenty medical conditions that increase the risk of serious diseases due to the virus.
The medical conditions for those who are eligible are as follows:
- Asthma (moderate to severe)
- Cancer
- Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Down syndrome
- Heart disease, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathy
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Immuno-compromised state (weakened immune system) due to solid organ transplantation, blood or bone marrow transplantation, immune deficiency, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or the use of other immunosuppressive drugs
- Liver disease
- Neurological conditions, such as dementia
- Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30-39 kg / m2)
- Overweight (BMI of 25-29 kg / m2)
- Pregnancy
- Pulmonary fibrosis (with damaged or scar tissue)
- Severe obesity (BMI 40 kg / m2 or more)
- Sickle cell disease
- Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
- Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
Government Tony Evers said Wisconsin is preparing to turn around the pandemic by massively expanding who is eligible to be vaccinated.
“We are ready to kick this pandemic to the edge, and we are in an excellent position to do so,” Evers said.
The list of medical conditions included in Phase 1C of the state’s distribution plan is complete. Anyone 16 years and older with asthma, cancer, Down syndrome, heart and lung conditions and many more qualifies.
“It means a little freedom,” said Elodie Ontala of Milwaukee.
Ontala was ecstatic to learn that people like her who live with sickle cell disease may soon get the chance.
“It’s a little less scary to know that the vaccine will provide a layer of protection for someone like me who has spent the last year there,” she said.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects 100,000 African Americans in the United States. Ontala said she struggles every day with pain due to her illness.
Michael Conroy / AP
“Because I do not yet have the oxygen in my body, I do not have the power in my body to fight something like the coronavirus,” she said.
Women who are pregnant and people who are considered overweight are also eligible from 29 March.
Julie Willems Van Dijk, deputy secretary of DHS, said that people who qualify for it do not have to have their medical condition vaccinated.
“Some vaccines can make people accept, others want them to sign a simple form confirming that ‘yes, I’m someone who has one of these conditions,’ ‘she said.
David Goldman / AP
While DHS is following the lead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the qualifying medical conditions, the state is going against CDC advice for the rest of Phase 1C.
The CDC recommends that ‘other essential workers’ such as restaurant, gas station, construction workers and many other industries be included. Willems Van Dijk said the workers will have to wait until May when the vaccine is expected to be available to everyone aged 16 and older.
‘We do not yet have 5.8 million vaccines or even 4.6 million vaccines, that’s all the adults. We must therefore do a balancing act between people who are at the greatest risk with the vaccine supply, ”she said.
Those currently eligible for the 1B phase include teachers, child care workers, workers in grocery stores, public transportation, and people enrolled in Medicaid’s long-term care programs.
John Minchillo / AP
Milwaukee County, meanwhile, says it’s working hard to get doses for those who are eligible and want one. You can see the latest information on this.
Frontline emergency workers, people in Medicaid long-term care programs and non-frontline emergency health workers living or working in Milwaukee can now make appointments online at milwaukee.gov/covidvax or by calling 414-286-6800.
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