MADISON (WKOW) – State health officials announced Thursday that more than two million people with pre-existing health conditions will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Wisconsin on March 29.
The new groups were announced in a press release from the Department of Health Services (DHS) on Thursday.
“Wisconsin continues to be a national leader in the field of vaccinations, and we are excited to be more eligible for more Wisconsinites,” Gov. Tony Evers said in a written statement. “I know this past year has been difficult for everyone and I want to thank people for taking action and doing their part to protect themselves and loved ones from COVID-19.”
The new groups eligible for the vaccine are all those aged 16 and over with the following medical conditions:
- 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)
“All three COVID-19 vaccines available are incredibly safe and effective in preventing infection, serious illness and death,” said Karen Timberlake, interim secretary of DHS. “These vaccines save lives.”
Julie Willems Van Dijk, deputy secretary of DHS, said the state could be eligible for many more Wisconsinites because it would receive hundreds of thousands of additional doses a week.
“We have seen a significant increase in vaccine over the past two months and will see the increase, according to our federal partners,” Van Dijk said. “That means we don’t have to do this continuous group-by-group performance.”
The state has administered more than 200,000 doses in the past five weeks. Van Dijk said in a press call on Thursday that the number will increase to 400 to 500 000 doses per week.
As for the challenge of vaccinating so many people and categorizing a wide range of health issues, DHS officials said Thursday they recommend that vaccines create their own lower boundaries of groups among those with pre-existing conditions.
Mo Kharbat, vice president of pharmacy services for SSM Health, said earlier this week that the health system is already exploring the idea and citing the idea of starting with those 55 and older.
Rest of the public may have to wait
Van Dijk said that the rest of the general public will be eligible in May after the enough projections of vaccine supply, after enough people in Group 1C received the vaccine.
“Everyone is eligible in May and that’s the biggest message I want everyone to hear at this point,” Van Dijk said.
Van Dijk said employers should now start planning on vaccination clinics to vaccinate their employees. This will be part of a larger effort to ensure that vaccinations across the state can handle an offer that DHS officials are expecting soon, or will even exceed demand.
“We need all hands on deck because this is going to be the point where there is a lot of vaccine and a lot of demand and that we need a lot of vaccines to administer it,” Van Dijk said.
Thursday’s announcement brought disappointment to those in a number of areas deemed ‘essential’ by the Centers for Disease Control.
CDC recommendations put the manufacturing sector in phase 1B, along with employees of grocery stores and transportation workers.
“Unlike some businesses, the hard-working and dedicated ‘store floor’ employees of manufacturing companies could not work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Kurt Bauer, president of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, said in a statement. “It’s simply unfair.”
The CDC recommendations have been incorporated into Phase 1C people working in transport and logistics, housing construction and communications.
All of these workers will be eligible for the rest of the general public in May.
“If you are lucky not to have any of these conditions, you will be happy to be admitted in May,” Van Dijk said. “I know we’m encouraging about the provision of vaccines, but we still do not have 5.8 million vaccines or even 4.6 million vaccines, that’s all adults.”