DHS, GOP points fingers at COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. – The road to herd immunity is starting to get a little bumpy. Republican lawmakers and the Evers administration are pointing fingers at the slow introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine in Wisconsin.

If you ask health officials about the spread of the coronavirus vaccine, they will tell you that they have made incredible progress.

“I think we’re really making progress,” said Wisconsin Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk.

Republicans of Wisconsin have a different view.

“This is just unacceptable,” said State Representative Joe Sanfelippo (R-New Berlin).

“This is unacceptable,” said State Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills).

“This is absolutely unacceptable,” said House Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester).

When Gov. Tony Evers delivered his annual state of the nation address Tuesday night, he used the word “vaccine” only twice.

“We are working to distribute the vaccine doses as quickly and as equitably as possible,” Evers said.

But the chairman of the Assembly made the explosion of the vaccine a highlight in his response.

“There seems to be no urgency with the Evers administration,” Vos said. “Wisconsin is an embarrassment compared to other states.”

Data from the CDC show that Wisconsin lags behind other states in the vaccine administration – 41st in the country as of Friday, January 15th.

“Do we, as soon as we get the vaccinations from the federal government, use it in the arms of the general public?” asked Sanfelippo.

The state’s Health Health Assembly on Thursday peppered a DHS executive for an explanation.

“I want to make it clear that the supply chain is not in Wisconsin’s control. What we receive week after week is an award from the federal government,” said Lisa Olson, deputy secretary of DHS.

Olson told lawmakers they get only 70,000 doses a week from Washington – a 47th per capita rate in the country.

“This is the number of doses that come into our state,” said Willems Van Dijk.

Willems Van Dijk said that once the vaccine is here, they should still get it from the right people.

“It’s a very complicated process and I think we did an incredible job,” said Willems Van Dijk.

But state legislator Joe Sanfelippo said this is where the system expires.

“I have been contacted by vaccinators who tell me we have a vaccine on the shelf. We have gone through all the approved persons so far and we can get no answers from DHS if we can continue to hold on,” Sanfelippo said. said.

This is because the state has not yet decided who must be vaccinated next.

“The roll-out did not go really smoothly,” said Jonathan Temte, co-chair of the Vaccin subcommittee.

Last week, a subcommittee on state vaccines drew up a Phase 1b plan for public comment. Next week, it’s back to the subcommittee – which sends it to the full committee – which sends it to the governor for final approval.

“By the time we agree on who will be in Group 1B, the rest of the country will pass us by,” Sanfelippo said.

“The federal government has given us guidelines, I think they are very reasonable,” Darling said.

Sen. Darling said the whole exercise is unnecessary as federal guidelines for each phase already exist.

“They are duplicating the list that the federal government has drawn up,” Darling said.

While Republicans and the Evers administration are pointing fingers, millions of Wisconsin residents are still wondering when they will get a vaccine. If there’s one thing everyone agrees on – time is of the essence.

“We share your interest in getting vaccinations in your arms as soon as possible,” Olson said.

“It’s too important for a cause. People’s lives are at stake. We need to focus on one thing and only one thing. To get as many people immunized as quickly as possible,” Sanfelippo said.

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State health officials say it could take May or June before mass vaccinations become available to the general public.

The CEO of Wisconsin Medical College said he “hopes” we can begin to relax some COVID-19 restrictions by this summer. But he said the key is that 75% of the population is exposed to the virus, whether through infection or vaccination.