DHS Vaccine Q&A for 2/11/2021 - New Vaccination Dashboard

Who:

• Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk, Wisconsin Department of Health Services
• Stephanie Schauer, Ph.D., Division of Public Health Immunization Program Manager

When: Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 1:30 p.m.              

The state DHS has released a new vaccination dashboard as announced in the corresponding press release:

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has released a new data dashboard on the COVID-19 vaccine data page. The new dashboard is designed to help give a comprehensive overview of COVID-19 vaccine administration in Wisconsin. It consolidates previous visualizations regarding vaccine series completion and administration data by sex and age and also adds new metrics, including vaccines administered by race and ethnicity, and vaccine administration and coverage by both county and healthcare emergency readiness coalition (HERC) region.

“Our data shows that life-saving vaccines are being given to people all across the state,” said DHS Interim Secretary Karen Timberlake. “This new dashboard highlights the hard work of our vaccinators and also helps us all identify areas where we must continue to make improvements. We remain committed to an equitable and fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccine.”

Users have a number of options for filtering the view of the dashboard to highlight the data they are most interested in. Choosing a county or HERC region from the map will filter the other metrics to show data specific to the chosen geography. Additionally, users can view data on those who have received at least one dose of the vaccine, or toggle to view data on those who have completed the full vaccine series.

These data are a critical tool that provide insight into the vaccine program and helps inform decisions to ensure vaccine distribution is fair and equitable. Systemic barriers and social factors including lack of access to quality health care, housing, transportation, and job opportunities, contribute to disparities in vaccine rates for Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and other communities of color in Wisconsin as is the case in other states.

To address these inequities, DHS is making intentional decisions to reduce barriers and encourage vaccine uptake in these communities and will use this data to inform allocation decisions. First, we prioritize vaccine orders for our Tribal partners, community health clinics, and federally qualified health centers—all of which provide services for socially vulnerable people in Wisconsin. In addition, DHS will allocate $6 million in grants to support our local community-based stakeholders in their targeted outreach and vaccine education efforts. And through our mobile vaccination teams, community-based vaccination clinics, and Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, we are also able to close gaps in vaccine access. We will continue to explore avenues to ensure communities of color will have the opportunity to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccines are and will be an important tool in controlling the pandemic. Masking up, staying physically distant, testing, and washing hands will continue to be crucial tools for protecting ourselves and our communities against COVID-19. It will take many months to vaccinate all Wisconsinites and it is important to double-down on ways to stop the spread as we continue rolling out the vaccine.