At least one Midwestern state may have herd immunity against the coronavirus this summer, according to a health official there.
Julie Willems Van Dijk, Wisconsin’s undersecretary of health in Wisconsin, said on Thursday that the state should have enough COVID-19 vaccine by the end of June to vaccinate about 80% of residents aged 16 and over. If that happens, the state could obtain collective immunity until July, she said, according to a local report.
To date, about 13% of Wisconsin residents are considered to be fully vaccinated, while about 23% have received at least one dose.
The vaccine’s eligibility expanded in the state on Monday, with people aged 16 to 64 with certain underlying medical conditions now able to receive the vaccine. However, state health officials, according to a directive from President Joe Biden, hope to make all residents aged 16 and over eligible by May 1, regardless of whether they have an underlying health condition or not.
MORE PEOPLE VACCINATED AGAINST COVID-19 IN WISCONSIN THAN HAVE BEEN INFECTED, SHOW THE STATE’S HEALTH DATA
In Wisconsin, more people were vaccinated against COVID-19 than infected by it, according to state health data.
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Most vaccines have been administered to residents 65 years of age or older. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services in a recent tweet noted that 1 in 3 Wisconsin residents age 65 and older were vaccinated.