DHS: 1M Wisconsinites have gotten at least 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine
MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced on Friday, March 5 that one million people in Wisconsin have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine with more than 500,000 individuals having completed their COVID-19 vaccine series.
As of Thursday, Wisconsin had administered at least one dose to 17.6% of its population, ranking it 18th nationwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That was ahead of the national average of 16.3%.
More than 1.5 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in Wisconsin.
The first shipment of about 48,000 doses of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine was scheduled to arrive in Wisconsin next week. State health officials also said the next eligibility group would be announced next week, likely to include some people with pre-existing health conditions.
Teachers, health care workers and others became eligible this week, joining everyone over age 65 as well as frontline health care workers. More than 58% of people over age 65 had received at least one dose, the state reported.
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Every adult in Wisconsin who wants to be vaccinated should be able to get an appointment by the end of June or early July, said Julie Willems Van Dijk, deputy health secretary, on Thursday.
Earlier this week DHS made several announcements including expanded vaccine eligibility, the addition of Kroger pharmacies to the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, and a new vaccine hotline to assist Wisconsinites with general COVID-19 vaccine inquiries as well as with registering for vaccine appointments. In addition, a second DHS community-based vaccination clinic in La Crosse will be opening next week.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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