MADISON, Wisconsin (WMTV) – The eligibility list for the Wisconsin COVID-19 vaccine is about to grow. The Department of Health Services is expected to announce the next wave of people authorized to receive their first dose, and the latter round is expected to cover more than a third of residents in the state.
About two million people, including those with pre-existing conditions, will learn when they can start scheduling their own vaccination appointments, said Julie Willems Van Dijk, deputy secretary of health, who added that the announcement is likely to come on Thursday.
If so many people are added, this will account for more than half of the state, 5.8 million residents will be eligible to receive one of the three vaccines. The latest expansion, which included teachers and grocery workers, covered approximately 700,000 people and before the front-line health workers and all those over 65, among others, could be vaccinated.
Among eligible seniors, DHS reports that more than a third of them are fully vaccinated, while more than six out of ten have received at least one dose. Across the entire population, including those 16 years of age or younger for whom no vaccine has been approved, more than 10 percent are fully vaccinated, while nearly twice as many have had at least the first shot.
On Monday, the Associated Press reported that health officials have been under pressure to increase the eligibility of those with underlying health conditions that could put them at greater risk for serious illness if they become infected with the coronavirus.
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