Wisconsin DHS Vaccine Q&A

The Wisconsin DHS will hold a Vaccine Q&A session today at 1:30 PM. We expect this session to cover information about the new expansion of vaccine availability to all Wisconsin residents over age 65. 

Today the state is reporting 42 more deaths due to COVID-19, so DHS is emphasizing again that we need to continue to follow good practices to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

If you are over 65 and are concerned about the vaccine, please go to the website of your health provider, which should contain updated information about vaccine availability. At the moment all of the local large health providers are asking people to wait until they are contacted about the availability of vaccine and how to set up an appointment. Please be patient. WisCommunity will try to keep updated information available on how vaccine will be made available in the Chippewa Valley. Later today we will run an interview with KT Gallagher on the updated information for Dunn County.

More information will be available for others who will be eligible for the Phase 1B rollout later this week after the recommendations are finalized. Over-65 people are put first in the line currently because that is the group that has been suffering from the most deaths.

 Currently, the supply of vaccines is about 70,000 doses per week but this phase includes approximately 700,000 people. It does not appear likely there will be a much larger supply of vaccine any time soon, so the rollout will be a slow process. People 65 and over can expect to be able to schedule an appointment sometime in the next few months.

It is likely that skilled nursing facilities will finish up this week and vaccines will then be started at assisted living facilities in a larger number. 

COVID is still at a very high rate in the state so it is important not to be complacent over the improvements in the last few weeks. 

This week a weekly newsletter was set up for vaccination information - you can sign up for that at the DHS website. 

As community-based clinics become available (next month at earliest) there will be on-line registration available for setting up appointments, and an ability to search for places to be vaccinated. At the moment this is still all going through the individual healthcare providers. 

Currently Operation Warp Speed is pairing a second dose with every dose that is ordered, so there should be a second dose available at the recommended time.