Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced Tuesday the state will open vaccine eligibility April 5 to all individuals 16 and older.
According to a statement released Tuesday by Evers, Wisconsin was able to move up eligibility earlier than anticipated due to an increased vaccine supply and an acceleration in vaccine administration in recent weeks.
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Wisconsin is currently one of the most efficient vaccinators in the nation, according to Evers’ statement. According to the DHS dashboard, Wisconsin has administered 2,753,146 vaccine doses with over 3 million doses allocated for administration across the state as of March 30.
In total, 29.7% of the state population has at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the dashboard.
“This marks a major milestone in our state’s fight against this virus and gets us closer to overcoming this pandemic and bouncing back together,” Evers said. “Thank you to all the folks in public health, vaccinators, and staff helping make this possible.”
Though the eligibility will be opened statewide to individuals 16 and older, certain areas of the state have a higher demand for vaccinations, which may cause delays and waitlists. Vaccine providers are instructed to prioritize previously eligible groups with their allocated doses, according to Evers’ statement.
DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake said in a statement the state’s strong network of providers will help ease the distribution process as eligibility is expanded.
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“Every community is different, some providers may have openings and others may have waitlists, but I assure you that anyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one in the coming weeks,” Timberlake said. “We appreciate everyone’s patience as we work to reach 80% community immunity in Wisconsin.”
State residents are encouraged to look for available vaccine appointments through DHS, federal and local vaccination clinics, pharmacies, healthcare providers, local and tribal health departments, and employers.
Any individual can sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine registry to get notified about available appointments in their area through participating providers. Vaccinated individuals are advised to follow post-vaccination guidelines to continue ongoing mitigation efforts.
