MADISON, WI (WTAQ) — State officials are urging those who qualify to get a COVID-19 booster dose to do so as soon as they can.
Bureau of Communicable Diseases Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ryan Westergaard says the current surge is still ongoing and that booster shots for those who qualify could go a long way towards weathering the surge.
“Evidence suggests that immunity is waning over time for some people who were originally well protected by the vaccine,” said Westergaard. “For these people, a booster dose will strengthen and extend their protection against infection, serious illness, and death from COVID-19.”
It’s not for everyone. Booster dose shots are available only for those who have received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and only if they’re 65 or older or live and work in high risk settings or have underlying medical conditions.
New confirmed coronavirus infections are continuing their declining trend. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 2,340 new cases on Wednesday, with the seven-day average dropping to 2,416. That was down from 2,932 on Sept. 20.
Disease activity isn’t equal across the state.
“Thirteen counties have moved into the critically high case activity level yesterday,” said Westergaard. “All other counties are reporting a high case activity level.”
Hospitals, Westergaard said, are straining.
“96% of ICU beds, and 97% of intermediate care beds are currently in use,” Westergaard said during a Thursday press briefing. “That means many of our hospitals are operating at capacity, or will be operating at capacity within the coming weeks, or even days.”
Deaths from COVID-19 averaged 16 over the previous seven days, with 17 being reported on Wednesday.
Since the pandemic began, there have been 726,982 confirmed cased and 7,997 deaths.
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