MADISON, Wis. – Determining which groups to prioritize for COVID-19 vaccine distribution is tough, but so is waiting.
Like many during the pandemic, Steve Gorton has been facing a well-worn road.
“We’ve been in this yearlong process,” Gorton said. “We’re stuck in the movie Groundhog Day. We keep repeating every day.”
He’s been mostly stuck at his Fitchburg home during the pandemic, getting well-acquainted with Zoom, just like many others with underlying health conditions.
“It just drives the anxiety up because of my underlying medical conditions,” said Karen Kos of Sauk City. “Just being actually afraid to go out.”
Kos said it’s gotten harder to wait for the vaccine as time went on.
“I’m chomping at the bit, because you know it’s coming,” she said.
Kos and Gorton are part of the newest eligible group in Phase 1C: about two million people with underlying medical conditions.
“The ultimate goal is to move vaccine into arms as quickly as possible,” said Julie Willems Van Dijk, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, on a media call. “We’re at a point when vaccine is not as scarce as it was, and we’re at a pivot point, so we want to get vaccines in arms.”
In the beginning when supply was far more limited, the queue had to be narrower. Wisconsin started with Phase 1A, including frontline health care workers. Then Phase 1B opened to those over 65 and some occupations including teachers and food service workers.
Now with Phase 1C, the focus is on those with high-risk conditions.
‘They’re anxious about this’: DHS prioritizes high-risk medical conditions
“They need it. They are at risk. They’re anxious about this,” Willems Van Dijk said. “Let’s be good citizens and neighbors Wisconsinites and let people go ahead and get vaccinated.”
She said that DHS included conditions the CDC indicates do put people at higher risk for severe illness from the coronavirus such as cancer, heart conditions and obesity, along with and those that might, such as asthma, high blood pressure and being overweight.
DHS data shows about 64% of the state’s adult population has a BMI high enough to be considered overweight or obese.
“It didn’t worry us putting a larger number of people in that group,” Willems Van Dijk said. “We want to move vaccine into arms as quickly as possible.”
Phase 1C Decision ‘informed by work’ of SDMAC
According to DHS, the decision was based partly on insight from State Disaster and Medical Advisory Committee, which met to advise state health officials on vaccine eligibility decisions.
Meeting documents indicate the SDMAC vaccine subcommittee hasn’t met since January when it was asked to suspend activities until further notice. The SDMAC only submitted formal recommendations for Phase 1B.
“In each previous eligibility group, the SDMAC noted vaccinators may consider prioritizing individuals with health status characteristics from the CDC list,” a DHS release said. “In addition, the SDMAC Vaccine Distribution Subcommittee consistently noted that the next eligible group would include people ages 16 through 64 with medical conditions that increase the risk for severe COVID-19.”
In their deliberations in the winter, SDMAC members also considered certain occupational groups for future eligibility, including those in manufacturing. The CDC recommends putting essential workers in Phase 1C, including those in transportation and logistics, food service, housing construction and finance, information technology, communications, energy, law, media and public safety.
Some workers in those groups are already eligible in Wisconsin under other phases, including certain transportation workers such as bus drivers, but DHS is not including any additional job groups in the state’s Phase 1C.
“We just felt like continuing to create eligibility by occupational group is confusing to everyone,” Willems Van Dijk said. “Many of those employees are now eligible because of chronic health conditions.”
That includes people like Kos, whose niece helped her schedule a vaccination appointment.
“I can’t even describe it,” Kos said. “I’m sleeping better already.”
Gorton has hit the first stop on the path to protection, as well, getting his first shot on Tuesday.
“It was great,” Gorton said. “Just a little poke. Not a problem at all.”
He hopes that means he and his wife can get off the beaten path and go inside a grocery store or restaurant in the coming months.
“Maybe even travel a bit,” Gorton said.
Everyone eligible by May 1
Regardless of where someone is in line, Willems Van Dijk said the bottom line is that all adults will be eligible soon.
DHS will make everyone 16 and older eligible by May 1, and potentially earlier depending how quickly people get vaccinated and how much supply comes in.
“We continue to evaluate this and we’ll see where we are,” Willems Van Dijk said. “Once we feel confident in the supply of vaccine we’re receiving and the pacing of vaccine we will make the decision and we will announce it.”
COPYRIGHT 2021 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
