Gov. Evers Announces Wisconsin Will Move into Next Wave of Vaccinations Next Week

MADISON, Wis.– In Wisconsin, the state gave out over 22,000 shots in the last 24 hours, their single largest day so far as the state continues their vaccination efforts. Wisconsin has now administered over 285,000 COVID-19 vaccines over the last month in phase 1-A. Now, they’re looking to take the next step.

Governor Tony Evers announced that Wisconsin will move now into phase 1-B of vaccinations beginning Monday. This includes first responders like police officers, firefighters, and EMS workers.

But the biggest group involved is the 700,000 Wisconsinites ages 65 and older who are now eligible to get the shot. 87 percent of total Covid deaths in the state have happened to those in that age group.

Evers says as the state continues the largest vaccine rollout in its history, he’s asking for patience as they try to keep putting shots in arms.

“Not only is it a rapidly evolving situation, there are a lot of moving parts moving very quickly. We continue to prioritize, distributing and administering the vaccine in a safe, efficient, fair and transparent way,” said Evers.

The second phase is ambitious, including 2 million people or 45 percent of the state’s adult population. But the amount of vaccines coming to Wisconsin depends on how much federal government sends over.

Around 70,000 vaccines have been coming in every week. And state health officials say they expect it to stay around that number for the next 3-4 weeks. Evers says he will continue to try and bring in as many doses into Wisconsin as possible, adding that he looks forward to working with the new Biden administration.

Additional groups could be added with the next wave in the near future like teachers, grocery store, workers and transit workers, along with others.