Wisconsin expands vaccine eligibility and list of vaccinators

(The Center Square) – The list of people who can get the coronavirus vaccine as well as the list of people who can give the vaccine in Wisconsin is expanding.

Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services on Monday announced the latest vaccine eligibility expansion.

“People ages 16 and older with certain medical conditions associated with an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 are eligible for the vaccine. This newly eligible group adds more than 2 million people into the population eligible for the vaccine,” DHS wrote in its announcement.

Those medical conditions include everything from asthma to diabetes to HIV to obesity.

Doctors and nurses in Wisconsin have administered more than 2 million vaccine doses as of Monday. Over 860,000 have been fully vaccinated.

“As people with certain medical conditions begin signing up for vaccination appointments, we ask for everyone’s continued patience. Some places may have waitlists, but eventually everyone will be able to get protected against the virus,” DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake said.

On the same day that the vaccine eligibility list grew, so did the list of people who can give the shots.

Gov. Tony Evers on Monday signed a new law that allows dentists in Wisconsin to administer the vaccine.

“It’s all hands on deck and dentists have the right knowledge and experience to get shots in arms quickly and safely, and we know we can use their help to get this done and to put the pandemic behind us,” Evers said in a statement.

Dentists in Wisconsin will be required to take an eight hour class before they can administer the vaccine. That class focuses on vaccine storage and protocols.

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