MADISON, Wisconsin – All Wisconsin residents are expected to become eligible for the vaccine by the end of May, state health officials announced on Thursday.
The announcement comes as more than half a million people in Wisconsin have completed their Covid-19 two-dose vaccine regimen and more than 1.5 million injections have been administered, according to the latest data from the Department of Health Services Wisconsin has risen to close to the top of the nation’s ranking in recent weeks for the vaccine’s launch, with nearly 17% of the state’s population having received at least one dose and more than a quarter of the state’s more than 65 individuals.
Wisconsin place across the country
When ranking vaccine launches across the country, there are a variety of metrics to be used when comparing progress across states. Some advance when measured by what percentage of their population received the first shot; others when measured using both injections (or complete vaccinations; data do not yet include Johnson & Johnson’s single injection regimen).
Governor Tony Evers praised some of these metrics in a Twitter post on March 3, showing Wisconsin as the first in the Upper Midwest in total doses administered per 100K in the population and third in the country in percentage of doses used – according to a newspaper New York Times Table. Both metrics are based on data extracted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a system that during implementation is sometimes inconsistent with vaccine data at the state level due to reporting delays and other factors. About two weeks ago, the CDC began including allocations to federal agencies within the state count, resulting in numbers different from those reported on the DHS website because state health officials only track allocations made directly to Wisconsin.
But regardless of the metric, Wisconsin has improved across the board compared to the start of implementation, when the CDC consistently positioned it near the end of the Midwest and country rankings. Health experts point to measuring how many available doses have been administered as one of the most important when measuring progress in implementation.
“The response is slow and steady, the race wins,” said Ann Lewandowski of the Wisconsin Rural Health Cooperative. (She also chairs, but did not speak for, the state council responsible for making recommendations to the state about the stages of vaccine eligibility, a group that has not met since January.) “Knowing that we don’t have vaccines in freezers or refrigerators is critical, because the which is a measure is the effectiveness within the delivery system. “
Criticism, concerns remain
One of the most common concerns cited by Wisconsin citizens is the lack of eligibility for adults under the age of 65 with a health condition that puts them at greater risk for serious Covid-19 cases. DHS chose to open eligibility for teachers, day care centers and a few other essential workers – since more than half of Wisconsin’s 65-year-old population has been vaccinated. Younger adults with underlying medical conditions are being considered for the next phase – but that phase can take weeks.
DHS Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk announced on Thursday that the state would likely make its announcements of who would be eligible for Phase 1C next week. The state has previously indicated that it is considering young adults with high-risk medical conditions as part of this phase, as they are currently included in the CDC’s Phase 1C recommendations. Part of the decision, however, is to determine which conditions to include in the list of those who would be high risk and eligible.
In Minnesota, adults at high medical risk are on the list for the next phase, once 70% of the state’s population over 65 is vaccinated. In Illinois, some parts of the state have recently opened to include adults with certain medical conditions, but other areas are delaying due to limited supplies.
Currently, Wisconsin’s most recent eligibility groups include teachers, day care centers, grocery workers, a few other essential public-facing workers, as well as essential health professionals outside the front line and people in the congregation, including prisoners. They joined health care professionals, long-term care residents, police and firefighters, and people over 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 everyone by the end of May, two months earlier than previously announced, in an innovative manufacturing partnership with competing pharmaceutical giants Merck and Johnson & Johnson.
Everyone would become eligible by the end of May under that deadline in Wisconsin, Willems Van Dijk said at a news conference on Thursday, but the administration of the actual dose could last until the beginning of July. This would depend on how many have already been vaccinated and how quickly the supply will be administered.
“We will not have an unlimited supply of vaccines,” said Willems Van Dijk. “We will have just enough to reach everyone.”
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