Vaccine Newsletter | February 25, 2021
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Thanks for subscribing to our vaccination updates.
In this week's newsletter:
- Information for upcoming eligible groups
- Progress vaccinating the 65+ population
- Ways you can be connected to vaccination opportunities
- Answers to common questions
- Legislative round-up
Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has now stated that more groups will become eligible for vaccination on March 1. However, vaccine availability will continue to be limited -- even for these newly-eligible populations -- as we continue to focus on Waukesha County's 65 and older population.
Please read on for more information about our efforts, and how to be connected to vaccines.
Paul Farrow
Waukesha County Executive
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93,635
Vaccines Administered to Waukesha County Residents
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Who is currently eligible for the COVID-19 Vaccine?
- Frontline health care workers
- Nursing home and assisted living residents and staff
- Police, fire department, and correctional staff
- Adults aged 65+
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Upcoming Eligible Groups:
- Education and child care
- Individuals enrolled in Medicaid long-term care programs
- Some public-facing essential workers
- Non-frontline essential health care personnel
- Facility staff and residents in congregate living settings
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Waukesha County's Vaccination Plans as More Groups Become Eligible
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Although Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has announced that new groups will be eligible to be vaccinated starting March 1, both State and County plans anticipate that it will be mid-March before vaccine will be available to newly eligible groups.
This is because Wisconsin DHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strongly recommend that the most at-risk populations continue to be prioritized. Additionally, vaccine quantities remain limited.
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Prioritizing Adults 65 and Older
Waukesha County and its healthcare partners will continue to focus on the 65 and older population until at least 60% of the individuals in this group have had access to vaccination.
- As of February 25, more than 47% of this population have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
- At the current rate of vaccination, Waukesha County anticipates reaching the 60% threshold in mid-March.
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Vaccinating Educators
By the time the 60% threshold is met for vaccination of older adults, Waukesha County anticipates having an increased supply of vaccine. This will allow the County to begin vaccinating educators while maintaining steady access to vaccine for the 65 and older population.
Important: While educators will be eligible starting March 1, it will be March 15 that Wisconsin DHS begins allocating vaccine doses for educators.
- The number of vaccine doses needed for educators in Waukesha County is being provided to Wisconsin DHS by Waukesha County in collaboration with school district leadership.
- DHS will set aside a forecasted amount of vaccine just for educators.
- DHS will determine which districts or schools are to be prioritized for vaccination. Waukesha County Public Health does not have the authority to deviate from DHS’ prioritized allocations.
Next: Waukesha County Public Health is working directly with public and private schools to coordinate vaccination efforts. Educators should wait to hear from their school or district for updates on when vaccine appointments will be available to them.
Vaccination Prioritization
It's key to remember that when a group becomes eligible for vaccination, it may not be right away that vaccine is available to them.
DHS has advised vaccinators to focus on priority groups before moving on to the next. This prioritization is why vaccinators will continue to focus on the 65 and older population before providing vaccination opportunities to educators and child care.
Once these groups have received access to vaccine, more eligible groups will have vaccination opportunities.
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When Other Eligible Groups Can Anticipate Access to Vaccine
After adults 65 and older, educators are the top priority group. The State of Wisconsin estimates that vaccination of educators will last through April.
The state estimates that the next eligible groups, such as essential workers and people living in congregate settings, will be able to access vaccine as soon as April. However, access to vaccination is based on the vaccine supply; these estimates could change.
More info: Visit the Wisconsin DHS website (below) for information about current eligible groups and when it is estimated that additional groups will have access to vaccination.
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If members of eligible groups are able to find vaccination opportunities through their healthcare provider or a local pharmacy, they are encouraged to take advantage of those opportunities.
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Waukesha County Progress
Nearly Half of Residents 65+ Have Had at Least One Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine
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Waukesha County has made enormous progress vaccinating people 65 and older since our community clinic opened.
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15.6% (62,939) of Waukesha County residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
- 7.5% (30,161) of residents have completed the vaccine series.
- The majority of vaccines have gone to individuals in the 65+ age group. Right now, 47.2% of that population has gotten at least one dose of vaccine.
Wisconsin continues to perform well with vaccine distribution. The Center for Disease Control shows vaccine providers are quickly using up their shipments as Wisconsin ranks third nationwide with 90% of available COVID-19 vaccine doses being used.
As access to the COVID-19 vaccine grows, Waukesha County is well positioned to meet the needs of our community.
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Nearly Half of Residents 65 and Older Have Received COVID-19 Vaccine
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36,587
Residents aged 65 and older who have received at least one dose of vaccine
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47.2%
Of Residents 65 and older have received at least on dose of vaccine
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Last week, Waukesha County requested 7,000 doses of vaccine and received 1,900 doses for this week's clinic.
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Scheduling A Vaccination Appointment
You Have Options
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Eligible residents in Waukesha County have several ways to get vaccinated.
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Your healthcare provider Your healthcare provider already has your healthcare information, and will contact you with more info about getting set up for vaccination. You do not need to join any additional list.
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Pharmacies with COVID-19 vaccination programs Some pharmacies have online registration systems for individuals seeking vaccine outside of healthcare providers. However, low vaccine supply means appointments remain extremely limited:
- Meijer offers three ways for eligible individuals to register for the COVID-19 vaccine:
- Text COVID to the number 75049. You will receive a link to register.
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Online at https://clinic.meijer.com.
- No internet or smartphone? Call your local Meijer Pharmacy and speak with the pharmacy staff, who can assist with registration.
Additional opportunities will be announced when more vaccine is available.
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Waukesha County Expo Center Community Vaccination Clinic Eligible residents can be vaccinated at this location by appointment only. All appointments for February 22- March 5 are full.
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Get on the Registration and Standby list: On Friday afternoon (tomorrow), a link to sign up for the Registration and Standby list for appointments the week of March 8 and beyond. The link will be sent to everyone who subscribes to this newsletter. We will use this updated list to send invites out for upcoming appointments.
Appointment Are Scheduled by Week, But Stay Ready For Sudden Openings. When appointments are available, this newsletter will have a link to sign up for the Expo Center clinic's Registration and Standby list.
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Individuals on the list will be invited to register for appointments or may be contacted on short notice if more doses of vaccine become available.
- The number of appointments will be based on the number of vaccines Waukesha County receives each week.
- If appointments are unfilled or canceled, or extra doses of vaccine are available, the next individuals on the list will be offered an opportunity to schedule any open appointments.
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New! We have updated our list to prepare for newly eligible groups. Be sure to select which eligibility group you belong to. Eligibility will be verified prior to the appointment.
- Invitations to register will go out first to eligible individuals in priority groups in the order that they signed up.
At this time, you must sign up for the list each week until you are invited to schedule an appointment. Most Waukesha County residents have told us that they are signed up for more than one vaccination opportunity. From one week to the next, those on the Waukesha County Registration and Standby list may have been vaccinated elsewhere. For this reason, we will seek to offer appointments only to those who still need a vaccination. Thanks for helping us speed this along!
Coming soon: A new registration system
- In the next few weeks, please expect to see a new Waukesha County vaccination registration system.
- When it arrives, the current Registration and Standby list will likely be cleared and residents will be invited to sign up via the new registration system. Clearing the list will help Waukesha County reach the population that is still in need of the vaccine (by removing individuals who may have already received vaccine from a healthcare provider or pharmacy).
- The updated system will improve residents' ability to register for vaccinations.
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We want your questions! There's a lot to know, so take a look below at some of this week's most common questions.
If you have a question that hasn't been answered below, send us an email! Thank you!
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Q: I am over 65, how am I affected by the expanding of vaccine eligibility to other groups?
A: Waukesha County and its healthcare partners will continue to focus on the 65+ population until at least 60% of the individuals in this group have had completed vaccination. At our current rate of vaccination, Waukesha County anticipates reaching the 60% threshold in mid-March. On March 15 the State of Wisconsin DHS will be allocating vaccine specifically to educators; so the County can begin vaccinating educators and maintain steady access to vaccine for the 65 and older population.
Q: I am an educator. How do I make an appointment?
A: Because Waukesha County is working directly with public and private schools to coordinate vaccination efforts, educators are to wait to hear from their school or district leadership about setting a vaccine appointment.
While educators will be eligible under Phase 1B starting March 1, the State of Wisconsin will not begin allocating vaccine doses for educators until March 15.
Q: I'm eligible under Phase 1B, but I'm not a teacher. When can I get my vaccine?
A: Great question. DHS has advised vaccinators to focus on priority groups before moving on to the next. This is why vaccinators will continue to focus on the 65+ population before providing vaccination opportunities to educators and childcare providers.
Once these groups have access to vaccines, more eligible groups will have vaccination opportunities. Watch the next issues of this newsletter for updates as they are available. More info: Visit Wisconsin DHS website.
Q: I'm under 65 and not eligible under Phase 1A or 1B; however I am immunocompromised or have multiple underlying health conditions. How do I get vaccinated?
A: At this time the State of Wisconsin has not released information regarding the vaccination of individuals with underlying health conditions in the general population. It is important to know that vaccinators are not allowed to provide vaccination opportunities to those who are not currently eligible under the State of Wisconsin’s phased approach.
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Changes at the State directly impact Waukesha County residents
Wisconsin Updates:
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Last week Governor Evers signed into law 2021 Wisconsin Act 1 which allows businesses that received federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to receive a state income tax deduction. PPP loans are tax-free federal funds to help small businesses hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the new law, a business that ended 2020 in the black can still take a deduction on its income tax for the expense that was offset by the PPP money, even though the expense didn’t come out of business income.
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The legislature passed Senate Bill 1 to update to the state’s unemployment claims processing system. The bill waives the one-week waiting period for those receiving unemployment benefits until March 14 and extends limited liability from COVID-related lawsuits to businesses, governments and schools. Governor Evers states he plans to sign the legislation.
Federal Update:
The House Budget Committee approved legislation to advance President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief package. The legislation will likely be voted on by the House by the end of the week and then move to the Senate where it will likely be modified.
In its current form the package includes additional funding for:
- Administering the COVID-19 vaccine
- COVID-19 testing supplies and contact tracing
- Stimulus check
- Expanded and extended unemployment benefits
- Rental Assistance
- Expanding PPP program
- Relief for restaurants, bars and event venues
The goal is to have the legislation complete before March 14 when current federal unemployment benefits are scheduled to expire.
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