MADISON, Wisconsin – People aged 16 and over with certain medical conditions will be next in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Wisconsin.
The state Department of Health Services said 2 to 3 million Wisconsin residents will be eligible for vaccination in late March. That’s because state health officials have identified twenty medical conditions that increase the risk of serious illnesses caused by the virus.
The medical conditions for those 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’s syndrome
- Heart problems such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) due to solid organ transplant, blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids or use of other drugs to weaken the immune system
- Liver disease
- Neurological conditions, such as dementia
- Obesity (body mass index [BMI] 30-39 kg / m2)
- Excess weight (BMI 25-29 kg / m2)
- Pregnancy
- Pulmonary fibrosis (with damaged lung tissue or scarring)
- Severe obesity (BMI 40 kg / m2 or more)
- Sickle cell anemia
- Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
- Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
Governor Tony Evers said Wisconsin is preparing to overcome the pandemic by massively expanding who is eligible to be vaccinated.
“We are ready to kick this pandemic to the curb and we are in a great position to do that,” said Evers.
The list of medical conditions included in phase 1C of the state’s distribution plan is exhaustive. Anyone aged 16 and over with asthma, cancer, down syndrome, heart and lung problems and many others qualify.
“It means a little bit of freedom,” said Milwaukee-based Elodie Ontala.
Ontala was ecstatic to learn that people like her, who live with sickle cell disease, will soon be able to get the vaccine.
“It’s a little less frightening to know that the vaccine will add a layer of protection to someone like me, who spent the last year in hospital,” she said.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects 100,000 African Americans in the United States. Ontala said he struggles with pain every day because of his illness.
Michael Conroy / AP
“Since I no longer have oxygen in my body, I don’t have the strength to fight something like the coronavirus,” she said.
Pregnant women and people considered to be overweight will also be eligible from March 29.
DHS Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk said that qualified people will not need to provide proof of their medical condition to the vaccinator.
“Some vaccinators may believe your words, others may want them to sign some simple form that certifies that ‘yes, I am a person who has one of these conditions,'” she said.
David Goldman / AP
While DHS is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for eligible medical conditions, the state is going against the CDC’s advice for the rest of phase 1C.
The CDC recommends that ‘other essential workers’, such as restaurants, gas stations, construction workers and many other industries be included. Willems Van Dijk said these workers will have to wait until May, when the vaccine will be available to everyone over the age of 16.
“We still don’t have 5.8 million vaccines or even 4.6 million vaccines that are all adults. So we still need to take stock of the people most at risk from providing the vaccine, ”she said.
Those currently eligible in phase 1B include teachers, childcare workers, grocery workers, public transport workers and people enrolled in Medicaid’s long-term care programs.
John Minchillo / AP
Meanwhile, Milwaukee County says it is working hard to get doses of vaccine for those who are eligible and want one. You can see the latest information on this effort here.
Essential frontline workers, people on Medicaid long-term care programs, and essential health care workers who live or work in Milwaukee can now book appointments online at milwaukee.gov/covidvax or by calling 414-286-6800.
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