337,500 in Wisconsin fully vaccinated

State reports 676 cases, 17 deaths

More than 337,500 Wisconsinites have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, the state health department reported Saturday.

So far this week, 176,735 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been administered in Wisconsin, with 32,377 shots given on Friday, according to the state Department of Health Services.

More than 1.1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered since December, DHS reported. Almost 800,000 Wisconsin residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, which is about 14% of the state’s population of people 16 and older. The vaccine is not yet authorized for children under 16.

Almost 46% of Wisconsinites age 65 and older have received at least one shot, according to DHS. About 105,600 residents 65 and older are fully vaccinated, according to DHS.

New cases reported: 676

New deaths reported: 17

Number hospitalized (as of Friday): 370 (intensive care: 96); down 495 patients from one month ago

Seven-day average of daily cases: 624 (down 1,183 cases from one month ago)

Seven-day average of daily deaths:

18 (down 27 from one month ago)

Seven-day average positivity rate (as a share of all tests given): 2.8%

Total cases since the start of pandemic: 559,172 (9,318 active cases)

Total deaths: 6,284

Key takeaways

● Six cases of the COVID-19 variant from the U.K. have been identified in Wisconsin as of Thursday, according to DHS.

● Wisconsin surpassed 1 million doses of the vaccine administered in the state earlier this week. The first vaccinations began in the state in mid-December.

● State health officials said Thursday that the next phase of vaccinations, known as Phase 1C, could start in midto late April.

The state has not finalized who will be in that group, but federal recommendations and discussions at the state level have focused on people with underlying medical conditions that increase the risk of COVID-19 complications.

Wisconsin Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk said Thursday that the state is on track to vaccinate at least half of people 65 and older by March 1.

That will trigger the second half of Phase 1B, which includes teachers, public-facing essential workers and people in congregate care settings — a group of roughly 600,000 to 700,000 people.

Once state health officials are confident that about half that group has been vaccinated, they will move on to Phase 1C.

Daphne Chen and Alison Dirr of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

WM. GLASHEEN/USA TODAY NETWORK-WISCONSIN Gernaro Tapia receives a vaccination from Aurora registered nurse Michelle Thede on Friday at the new COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Culver Family Welcome Center on the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus. The clinic is a partnership between UW-Oshkosh, Advocate Aurora Health and the Winnebago County Public Health Department.