MADISON, Wis. – A state-run COVID-19 vaccine registry serving as a one-stop shop for people seeking vaccinations in Wisconsin will begin by the end of the day Monday, March 1st.
The registry announced last month that it would begin the same day that teachers, childcare staff and others in a group of about 700,000 would be eligible for the vaccine and try to find where to be vaccinated.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said last month that the registry would begin Monday and be a “central place to let people know where and when they can, they can be vaccinated and make an appointment.” The register had not yet come into effect Monday afternoon, but a health department spokesman said it would be up and running by the end of the day.
“The site will initially be aimed at our citizens in the vicinity of our vaccination centers in the state,” said Elizabeth Goodsitt, spokeswoman for the department.
The state did not broadly advertise the register until provinces currently using it work through waiting lists, she said. The state is working with about a dozen local health departments to make sure the registry works as intended. The state health department has an existing website with a searchable map of current vaccine providers, but no way for people to register or make appointments.
The register is in force on the same day that teachers and others joined the leading health care workers and over the age of 65 to be eligible for the vaccine.
Others who are just eligible are child care workers; bus drivers and other public transport workers; utility workers; grocery store employees and others in the food supply chain; people enrolled in Medicaid long-term care programs; 911 senders; miners; prisoners prisoners; non-essential health workers; and staff in shared housing situations such as apartments, student bedrooms and prisons.
State health officials said they are prioritizing teachers as some major districts that have been closed for personal learning since last year, including Madison, plan to reopen this month.
The problem of finding vaccines nationwide was a frustration because people had to navigate a web of local providers to determine who had doses available. When plans for the Wisconsin registry were announced on Feb. 18, Gov. Tony Evers said it would “make it easier for the public to be vaccinated, and to help vaccinators locate the available supply.”
It was described as a place where people could answer various questions to determine if they could be vaccinated and make an appointment. For those who were not eligible, or if no appointments were available, the register was to put people on a waiting list. A telephone line was also promised for people to call for help on Monday, but it has not yet been launched.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get news reports in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android
More than 54% of Wisconsin residents 65 and older received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. As of Sunday, 16.4% of Wisconsin’s population had received at least one dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 19th state. This was above the national average of 15%.
In Wisconsin, 8.5% of the population, more than 492,000 people, received both doses. According to the health department, more than 912,000 people received at least one shot.
Last week, 233,888 doses of the vaccine were administered in Wisconsin, the most of any week since vaccination began, the Department of Health said. That was about 16,000 doses more than the previous peak that took place the week of January 31st.
More vaccine will soon enter the supply chain for Wisconsin and other states with the approval of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine this weekend. State health officials did not immediately estimate how many doses they expected from the provider or when it would arrive.
Some WI pharmacies that vaccinate thousands, others have yet to start
As Wisconsin prepares to vaccinate educators, inventory at local pharmacies increases.