Phase 1C starting early in Wisconsin
Group includes those with certain conditions
Wisconsin has moved up vaccine eligibility for millions of people with certain health conditions to Monday, one week earlier than expected.
The change means people with cancer, COPD, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and other conditions associated with an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 will be able to get vaccine starting a week before the initial March 29 date.
“Our vaccinators across the state are doing great work to get folks vaccinated and get this done,” Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement. “Moving up eligibility for this critical group will help us get over the finish line and sooner, and get us back to our Wisconsin way of life.”
The next phase is expected to include more than 2 million people in Wisconsin. According to state Department of Health Services data, 35% of Wisconsinites are overweight
by that measure, and 32% are obese — meaning roughly 67% of Wisconsinites will be eligible starting on Monday due to weight alone.
Wisconsin will essentially use the honor system for who is eligible based on health conditions.
The state also announced Tuesday that all clergy — as part of health care personnel who provide spiritual care to the sick — are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, and expanded eligibility for those involved in public safety. Those who are eligible now include judges, prosecutors and other essential criminal court personnel, in addition to public defenders, officials said.
State officials made restaurant workers in Wisconsin eligible for the vaccine on Friday. They joined 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.
Everyone 16 and older in Wisconsin will be eligible to get COVID-19 vaccine by May 1, Evers announced last week.
State has faced criticism from disability advocates
The state’s shifting process for approving and prioritizing eligible people for vaccination has frustrated some. The department had relied on the recommendations of an advisory panel of public health experts before putting the panel on hiatus in February.
Last week, Disability Rights Wisconsin and three other organizations that advocate for people with disabilities wrote a letter to DHS asking that people with intellectual disabilities be added to the list of medical conditions that qualify people for Phase 1C.
In a follow-up letter to DHS Tuesday morning, Disability Rights Wisconsin managing attorney Mitchell Hagopian urged officials to make people with medical conditions immediately eligible for the vaccine.
“It is disturbing to us that chefs, waitstaff and restaurant hosts are considered more important to protect than people with medical conditions that place them at high risk of death if they contract COVID,” Hagopian wrote.
Elizabeth Goodsitt, a DHS spokeswoman, did not directly address whether Disability Rights Wisconsin’s letters prompted Tuesday’s decision to expand eligibility. In an email, Goodsitt mentioned a number of factors that led to the department’s decision, including increased federal vaccine supply and reports of open appointments and slowing demand.
“Opening up earlier allows vaccinators in places that have nearly completed these groups to move on,” Goodsitt wrote. “As we have said all along, we want to keep a good steady stream of folks available to vaccinate people as quickly as vaccine is available.”
She added, “We are in a race against the variants and seeing our daily variant numbers tick up, so this is not the time
for us to have any open vaccine appointments.”
Some counties appear to be allowing those in 1C to schedule vaccine appointments for this week. Jefferson County’s health department posted on its Facebook page Tuesday that it had open appointments Wednesday and Thursday and encouraged county residents and workers with medical conditions to sign up.
People with health conditions who will be eligible Monday can register now at the Wisconsin Center, said Kirsten Johnson, Milwaukee health commissioner.
Now that people with medical conditions and intellectual disabilities have been moved up, Hagopian said, “At this point we are OK with this resolution and appreciate that DHS has listened to us and made an effort to speed up eligibility for the medically fragile population.”
Adults in 10 Milwaukee ZIP codes soon eligible
Residents of 10 ZIP codes in Milwaukee who are at least 18 years old will also be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, local officials said.
Those 10 ZIP codes — 53204, 53205, 53206, 53209, 53215, 53216, 53218, 53223, 53224 and 53233 — rank high in terms of residents’ vulnerability to disasters such as the pandemic, local officials said.
More information can be found at Milwaukee.gov/CovidVax or CovidMKE.com.
“Utilizing the ZIP code data to expand our vaccine eligibility in targeted areas is a step in the right direction towards serving our underrepresented neighborhoods of color,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said at a virtual press conference Tuesday.
He also said the expanded eligibility is for communities that are most vulnerable because of such factors as socioeconomic status, household
“Opening up earlier allows vaccinators in places that have nearly completed these groups to move on . ... We want to keep a good steady stream of folks available to vaccinate people as quickly as vaccine is available.”
Elizabeth Goodsitt DHS spokeswoman
composition, minority status, housing type and transportation.
The city will also be focusing its mobile vaccination efforts on the 10 ZIP codes.
Data last week showed the most vulnerable ZIP codes in the county had the lowest vaccination rates, while the most prosperous ZIP codes were seeing the most people getting vaccinated, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said Tuesday.
“In other words, the people who were in the neighborhoods that needed it the most were the ones who were getting it the least,” he said.
Crowley also said that efforts are underway to provide vaccinations to homebound seniors.
Seniors can call 414-999-1099 to schedule in-home vaccinations.
Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin will also provide information about registering for a shot when it provides daily meals to 1,500 to homebound seniors, Crowley said.
Latest COVID-19 numbers
New cases reported: 480 New deaths reported: 3 Number hospitalized: 215 (intensive care: 61); down 195 patients from one month ago
Seven-day average of daily cases: 440 (down 314 cases from one month ago)
Seven-day average of daily deaths: 4 (down 12 from one month ago)
Seven-day average positivity rate — as a share of all tests given: 2.1%
Total cases since the start of pandemic: 570,412 (6,347 active cases)
Total deaths: 6,539
Latest vaccine numbers
Total doses administered:
2,043,125
Wisconsin residents with at least one dose: 1,273,705 (21.9% of the population)
Residents with both doses: 721,389 (12.6% of the population)
Residents 65 and older with at least one dose: 700,583 (68.4% of 65+ population)