People with pre-existing conditions up next
Officials criticized for not granting eligibility sooner
People with certain pre-existing conditions will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine in the next phase of Wisconsin’s rollout, which will be announced this week, a top state health official said.
Julie Willems Van Dijk, deputy secretary for the state Department of Health Services, said Monday that the next phase of the rollout, known as “Phase 1C,” would be announced later this week.
“Certainly we’ve heard loudly, and the CDC guidance indicates that 1C would include people with other chronic conditions that put them at risk for COVID-19,” she said during a meeting of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council, which involves officials from each of the 19 municipalities inside Milwaukee County.
State officials have faced criticism for not making people with pre-existing conditions eligible sooner. President Joe Biden was even asked about the issue by an Oak Creek mother of a teen with lung disease during last month’s town hall in Milwaukee.
Those currently eligible in Wisconsin include health care workers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, police officers and firefighters, people 65 and older, teachers and other school staffers, and some essential workers.
It’s unclear the specific date the next group will be eligible. The state reported Tuesday that more than 62% of those age 65 and over had received at least one dose of vaccine.
Guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially said this stage of the rollout, Phase 1C,
should include people ages 16 to 64 with underlying medical conditions that “increase the risk of serious, life-threatening complications from COVID-19.”
The CDC had also previously recommended including those ages 65-74 in the Phase 1C group, but then in January recommended moving up their eligibility, as well as those with some conditions.
Wisconsin moved people 65 and over into the current phase of the rollout, known as Phase 1B, but not those with pre-existing conditions who are 64 and younger.
The next stage of Wisconsin’s vaccine rollout is also expected to expand eligibility to some essential workers, including people who work in food service, housing construction and finance, information technology, communications, law and media.
On Monday, Willems Van Dijk added, “We’ll also be predicting out to when we’ll be able to open up for all populations moving forward.”
She said last week that “part of the decision making is thinking about which pre-existing conditions and really using the CDC’s research to look at where the strongest evidence is about which conditions contribute to COVID-19.”
“When you think about how long other diseases have been studied, other communicable diseases like HIV or hepatitis C or Ebola or Zika or other emerging infections, we’ve had years to look at those infections or those diseases and understand the contributing causes,” she told reporters during a media briefing.
She added that officials were trying “to include the people who we know are at risk, to think about do we put people who might be at risk, and how do we do this in a way that doesn’t overwhelm the vaccinating system.”
As many as 2 million more Wisconsin residents will be eligible in this next round, the Associated Press reported.
Wisconsin officials have not yet said which underlying health conditions will be prioritized in the next stage of the rollout.
The federal CDC guidelines say health conditions that put people at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 include cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), Down syndrome, heart conditions (such as heart failure), a weakened immune system due to an organ transplant, obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell disease and diabetes.
The CDC also lists conditions that might put people at increased risk for severe illness from the disease, including those with asthma, cystic fibrosis, high blood pressure, immune deficiencies, HIV, neurologic conditions (such as dementia), and liver disease.
On Monday, Willems Van Dijk again warned that eligibility does not mean instant access to vaccine due to supply shortages.
“While we are looking forward to more vaccine and we’ve made great progress over the last month, we know we still have far more who want vaccine than can receive the vaccine,” she said. “And we know especially when we turn the on button for people with chronic conditions who have been waiting so desperately to have their day to have vaccines, they’re going to want to be front in line.”
More than a quarter-million doses given to Wisconsin residents last week
More than a quarter-million doses were given to Wisconsin residents last week, state data shows — by far a new weekly record.
The roughly 270,000 doses administered from Feb. 28 to March 6 came as the state expanded vaccine eligibility to teachers and child care workers.
Vaccinations began 12 weeks ago but have ramped up substantially in the last month. More than half of all doses given to Wisconsin residents have been administered in the last four weeks.
Nearly two in three Wisconsin residents 65 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, and nearly one in three are fully vaccinated, state data shows.
Meanwhile, the state’s seven-day case average is the lowest since late June. The average daily death toll, which peaked at 60 just before Christmas, has fallen to 10.
The number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 has dipped to levels seen in early July. At 244 on Tuesday, it was down from an all-time peak of 2,277 in November.
The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units was 61 on Monday, its lowest point since recordkeeping began in April. It reached as high as 456 in November.
Milwaukee officials encourage teachers to schedule appointments
Milwaukee’s vaccination program targeting specific, disadvantaged ZIP codes has been expanded to include a third area of the city.
Anyone eligible for the vaccine who lives in 53204, 53205 and 53206 can register online at milwaukee.gov /CovidVax or call (414) 286-6800 to get vaccinated at Kosciuszko Community Center, 2201 S. 7th St. The clinic is not open to walk-ins.
City officials encouraged teachers and child care workers to sign up for vaccination appointments online at the same website.
The clinic at the Wisconsin Center, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave., has set aside hundreds of appointments for teachers this week, many of which are still available, Mayor Tom Barrett said.
On Wednesday, the Wisconsin Center can vaccinate up to 800 educators. On both Thursday and Friday, it has the capacity for 1,000.
Appointments are also still available for teachers at a clinic 3-7 p.m. Wednesday at the Milwaukee Public Library Villard Square Branch, 5190 N. 35th St.
Milwaukee Public Schools teachers can also attend vaccine clinics at North Division High Schools, 1011 W. Center St., and South Division High School, 1515 W. Lapham Blvd., 1-7 p.m., through Friday.
None of the clinics is accepting walkins.