More eligibility opening Monday
Nearly 15% of state is at least partly vaccinated
Over 50% of Wisconsin residents 65 and older had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Friday, according to state data.
Surpassing the halfway point means the state is on course to begin vaccinating teachers, child care workers and other eligible groups on Monday as planned.
Those who are already eligible but have not yet received a shot will still be eligible. State health officials said vaccinators should continue to prioritize vaccinating residents 65 and older.
Other groups becoming eligible Monday include:
● People in Medicaid long-term care programs such as IRIS and Family Care.
● Public-facing essential workers, such as 911 operators, public transit workers, utility workers and food supply chain workers, including agricultural workers and retail food workers.
● Non-frontline health care personnel.
● People in congregate living, such as those in mental health institutions or people who are incarcerated.
● Mink husbandry workers. About two and a half months since health care workers received Wisconsin’s first doses, nearly 15% of the state’s population has gotten at least one dose of the two-dose vaccine.
The rollout has ramped up substantially since anyone 65 and older became eligible to receive the vaccine. Nearly three-quarters of the approximately 1.3 million doses administered to Wisconsin residents have been given in the month since eligibility was expanded.
But many hurdles remain. Vaccine providers say they can administer more doses than they’re being given, and the state says it needs larger shipments — even as its allocation has risen 64% from a month ago.
This week, UW Health rescheduled more than 4,000 vaccination appointments after receiving a smaller allotment from the state than expected.
State health officials say they expect to see a rise in vaccination supply in the coming weeks, with indications that more Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are on the way and the likely approval of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s count of coronavirus variant cases remained at six Friday after an update, with no new cases identified in the last week.
Nearby Michigan ranks secondhighest in the country for variant cases, with 336 cases of the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant, first found in the United Kingdom, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Aside from Florida and California, no other state has more than 200 variant cases.
Minnesota has identified 59 cases,
Iowa 10 and Illinois 43.
New cases reported: 656
New deaths reported: 5
Number hospitalized: 304 (intensive care: 89); down 442 patients from one month ago
Seven-day average of daily cases: 616 (down 929 cases from one month ago)
Seven-day average of daily deaths: 19 (down 15 from one month ago)
Seven-day average positivity rate — as a share of all tests given: 2.3%
Total cases since the start of pandemic: 562,807 (8,209 active cases)
Total deaths: 6,399
Vaccines
Total doses administered: 1,340,694
Doses administered Thursday: 47,270
Wisconsin residents with at least one dose: 868,800 (14.9% of the population)
Residents with both doses: 443,026 (7.6% of the population)
Residents 65 and older with at least one dose: 521,354 (51.3% of 65+ population)