MADISON, WI (WTAQ) — State officials are grappling with a slow down in the rate of Wisconsinites getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
While officials say the drop-off isn’t surprising, they say they’re doing everything they can to keep people getting vaccinated.
“Now, as we say, the hard part begins,” said DHS Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk. “Which is we find a lot of different creative ways to do pop up clinics to bring vaccines to where people are at.”
That means widening access to vaccines.
“If you’re gonna do a pop up clinic you’re probably going to see 50 to 100 people,” said Willems Van Dijk, adding that is much fewer than at mass-vaccination sites. “It’s going to take us longer to get there with those smaller sites.”
Healthcare officials say the slow down is in part due to the remaining unvaccinated population not being as concerned about the virus as those who were first in line.
Governor Tony Evers on Wednesday urged people to get vaccinated when they get the opportunity.
“Whether it’s a summer family reunion or July 4 celebrations, our ability to do so safely without masks depends on as many people as possible getting vaccinated,” Evers said.
As of Wednesday, a total of 4,751,017 vaccine doses had been administered. A total of 2,598,820 people, or 44.6% of the population, had received at least one dose and 2,215,045, or 38% of the population, had completed their vaccine series.
The vaccination rolling average fell to 25,238 from a high of 64,261 on April 11th.
Since the pandemic began, there have been 604,378 confirmed cases and 6,935 deaths from COVID-19 in Wisconsin according to Wednesday’s DHS numbers. That’s 558 newly reported cases and 18 newly-recorded deaths.
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