MADISON, WI (WTAQ) — Every single Wisconsinite will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.
Officials made that surprise announcement on Tuesday.
“I’m thrilled today to announce that we will be moving up eligibility to the general public starting on April 5th,” Governor Tony Evers said during a Department of Health Services briefing.
“This decision to move ahead with everybody really simplifies the whole scenario for our vaccinators, for our public,” said Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk. “No more having to sort out if you’re in or if you’re out. It’s time to just move forward and get everybody with a shot in their arm.”
Evers also made the announcement on Twitter.
BREAKING: Wisconsin leads the nation in getting available shots in arms, and today we’re announcing everyone 16 and older will be eligible to receive a #COVID19 vaccine starting next week. pic.twitter.com/WCvKVRms4K
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) March 30, 2021
The vaccine is currently only available to those with serious health conditions.
The new eligibility date is more than three weeks earlier than the May 1st date originally established. Health officials say that expedited timing is credited to a number of different factors.
“The federal government has been able to give us more and more reliable estimates of how much vaccine will be coming into the state for longer and longer periods of time…We feel very confident that the predictions they’re making about additional doses of vaccine have held true throughout the month of March, and will hold true in the month of April,” Van Dijk told WTAQ News. “With more vaccine coming into the state, we want to be sure that there are more and more eligible people to receive those vaccines.”
She also points to the efficiency and progress already made with previous phases.
“We vaccinated the majority of educators and our state, or they’re in the process of completing their vaccine series. We’ve made amazing progress with people over age 65,” Van Dijk said. “Putting people in the group 1C with chronic health conditions last week, we’ve given those folks at head start ahead of the general population. But we also know there just aren’t that many more people left to put in the mix.”
