As of Tuesday, February 23, Wisconsin had been allocated about 1.6 million COVID vaccine doses from the federal government. About 1.2 million vaccine doses have been administered, and about 360,000 Wisconsin residents have completed the two-dose series. Almost half of Wisconsinites aged 65 and older have received at least one dose.
Currently, the state is focused on vaccinating frontline health care workers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, correctional personnel, and people aged 65 and older. The Department of Health Services (DHS) expects to begin vaccinating educators and childcare providers beginning March 1, pending vaccine supply. This will be the first phase of the next vaccine priority group which also includes utility and public transit workers, food supply chain personnel, non-frontline healthcare personnel, and the staff and residents of congregate living facilities.
As of February 23, Wisconsin had administered nearly 3.16 million tests for COVID-19 since early 2020. Of those tests, about 560,000 were positive. About 6,300 people with COVID-19 have died in Wisconsin, representing about 1.1 percent of all cases. Since the beginning of 2021, the average percentage of positive tests out of total tests has been declining.
All vaccine and testing data are from DHS.
DHS Announces Additional Vaccine Sites
Earlier this week, DHS announced that the state is setting up four additional community-based vaccine clinics to distribute COVID vaccines. The sites will be in La Crosse, Racine, Marathon, and Douglas/Barron counties. As with the state’s first vaccine clinic in Rock County, the new sites will be managed by AMI Expeditionary Healthcare in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin System and local health departments. The Rock County location currently administers about 200 vaccine doses per day and may eventually administer up to 1,000.
Online Vaccine Registry Launching Statewide on March 1
On February 18, DHS announced that the state is launching an online service that will allow Wisconsinites to determine their COVID vaccine eligibility, find a vaccine provider with available doses, and make appointments. Several local health departments across the state began testing the service on February 22. Beginning March 1, the service will be available to all local and tribal health departments in Wisconsin. DHS plans to make the service available to all other vaccine providers by April 1. Vaccine providers and recipients are not required to use the online registry.