MADISON (NBC 26) — Wisconsin health officials have administered more than 5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Saturday, according to new numbers from state health officials.
New numbers published on the state Department of Health Services' website shows nearly 47% of Wisconsinites had received at least one shot in the arm. About 41% of Wisconsinites have completed the vaccine series.
Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk has previously said that 70% of Wisconsin's population would need to be vaccinated to attain herd immunity and the state could reach that benchmark by July.
But vaccination rates have slowed dramatically and are now growing at only about 1% a week.
Willems Van Dijk tells The Associated Press that it's still possible Wisconsin reaches the 70% mark by July if vaccination rates increase but right now it appears the state won't get there until September or October.
As for the number of new coronavirus cases in Wisconsin, while individual days have fluctuated, the overall trend continues downward. The seven-day average Saturday was 337, continuing a decline in numbers that has been ongoing since the beginning of this month. The case numbers remain steadily lower than the large spike seen in November of last year.
