840 new cases; 52 deaths
Wisconsin reported 840 new COVID-19 cases and 52 deaths Thursday, and the state’s seven-day positivity rate was 2.4%.
State health officials say the number of vaccine doses available continues to rise as they prepare for the next phase of distribution.
The state will expand vaccine eligibility to teachers and several other groups starting Monday.
Meanwhile, though, UW Health — one of the state’s largest health systems — is canceling thousands of COVID-19 vaccine appointments after not receiving enough doses. The system is rescheduling more than 4,000 vaccine appointments in Madison, including those for people who already had to delay appointments once.
UW Health officials urged patients to seek vaccine shots from other outlets such as pharmacies, community organizations and pop-up vaccine clinics, based on information from the state Department of Health Services.
Matt Anderson, UW Health’s senior medical director of primary care, said state health officials initially asked the health care system to try to vaccinate its over-65 patients by March 1. But the state began lowering the number of doses it’s giving UW Health, resulting in too many scheduled appointments, he said.
In Milwaukee, a federal mass vaccination site could launch as soon as the week of March 15 at the downtown Wisconsin Center, interim Health Commissioner Marlaina Jackson said Thursday.
The Milwaukee Health Department has already been administering vaccines at the Wisconsin Center. The Federal Emergency Management Agency would supplement staff there, allowing city workers to be reassigned to mobile units, Jackson said. The department will be deploying mobile units starting next week to address racial disparities in vaccine distribution.
COVID cases, data
New cases reported: 840
New deaths reported: 52
Number hospitalized: 331 (intensive care: 97)
Seven-day average of daily cases: 632
Seven-day average of daily deaths: 23
Seven-day average positivity rate — as a share of all tests given: 2.4%
Total cases since the start of pandemic: 562,151 (8,430 active cases)
Total deaths: 6,394
Vaccines
Total doses administered: 1,281,901 Doses administered Wednesday: 37,287
Wisconsin residents with at least one dose: 842,818
Residents with both doses: 416,358 Residents 65 and older with at least one dose: 502,244 (49.4% of 65+ population)