Frederica Freyberg:

The state health department is increasingly opening COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to more people, including people over age 65. But it’s not going to be quick.

Tony Evers:

On Monday, Wisconsinites 65 and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine. This is great news and will help save lives in one of the populations we know is particularly vulnerable to severe effects of the virus. But, folks, here in Wisconsin that’s not a small group. There are approximately 700,000 Wisconsin residents 65 and older. The amount of vaccine we get from the federal government will help determine how quickly we can get through this group. But we’re going to get started with the supplies we have available now.

Frederica Freyberg:

Governor Tony Evers continues to ask the federal government to provide more vaccine to Wisconsin. When might that happen? We turn to PBS Wisconsin News Reporter Will Cushman who covers all things COVID for us. Thanks a lot for being here.

Will Cushman:

Thank you.

Frederica Freyberg:

So even as the governor says how it will be a lift to vaccinate 700,000 people over the age of 65, the Department of Health Services is expanding who’s eligible next week. But with not enough vaccine coming into Wisconsin but increasing numbers of those eligible, how does that work?

Will Cushman:

Yeah. It’s going to work slowly. So right now Wisconsin is vaccinating about — or administering about 70,000 doses per week. As you just mentioned, the newly-eligible age group, who will be newly-eligible next Monday, all those 65 and older, that’s a group of people that is 700,000 strong. So at the current rate, it would take about ten weeks to vaccinate that whole age group or at least to administer their first dose. Really, public health officials are moving from kind of the riskiest groups in the state, so front line health care workers, nursing home residents and staff and assisted living facility residents and staff to who they deem to be kind of in this next riskiest group and that would include all of those 65 and older, because, as we know, almost 90% of the deaths due to COVID in Wisconsin are in that age group.

Frederica Freyberg:

So who’s expected to be in this next group that the state is going to announce next week?

Will Cushman:

Right. The Department of Health Services did receive recommendations from a state committee that’s working on determining who should be eligible for the vaccine when. The department is expected to act on those recommendations early next week. Right now those recommendations include teachers, K-12 teachers, child care workers and a couple other groups, transit workers and potentially grocery store workers and other food service workers.

Frederica Freyberg:

Wow. A lot more people, which is good, and we hope those vaccines keep pouring into Wisconsin. Meanwhile, what is the guidance from health officials as to how people are supposed to get themselves in queue to get a vaccine if they’re outside health systems or other workplaces that will vaccinate them?

Will Cushman:

Yeah. So the hope is that — there are more vaccinators coming online pretty much every day. As of yesterday there are about 1300 registered vaccinators to provide the COVID-19 vaccines in the state. So the hope is that there will be a lot more places to go to get the vaccine, including community pharmacies, community clinics, primary care providers. So state health officials are recommending that people try to search online first for information about where they can get their flu shot — excuse me, their COVID shot and the Department of Health Services is actually recommending that folks approach trying to secure a COVID vaccine in the same way or at the same venues that they would get their annual flu shot.

Frederica Freyberg:

All right. Wow. Well, we thank you very much for the information, Will Cushman.

Will Cushman:

Thank you.