NBC26 — On March 29, millions of Wisconsinites will become eligible for vaccination against coronavirus in the last group before opening to the general public above the age of 16 in May.
"We're saying more than two million," DHS Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk said. "It is hard to predict exactly how many people it is."
While the vaccine supply is coordinated at the federal level, the distribution order remains at state's discretion ahead of President Joe Biden's call to make all adults eligible by May 1. Governor Tony Evers has confirmed that Wisconsin will meet that deadline, but until then, the state is prioritizing health risks over industries.
Here is a list of all health conditions that are included in group 1C:
- Moderate to severe asthma
- Cancer
- Cerebrovascular disease
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Down syndrome
- Heart conditions, i.e. heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Those that are immunocompromised due to solid organ transplant, blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune-weakening medicines
- Liver disease
- Neurologic conditions, i.e. dementia
- Being overweight, obese or severely obese, i.e. BMI above 25 depending on height
- Pregnancy
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Sickle cell disease
- Type 1 or 2 diabetes
- Thalassemia
"The point is, these are all people who are at risk for the disease and we want to get them front in line before we open to the full population," Willems Van Dijk said.
Perhaps most notably on the list of 1c conditions is overweight and obesity. According to DHS data, approximately 70% of Wisconsinites are overweight.
DHS is not requiring patients to present medical records in order to prove eligibility under group 1C, but is encouraging honesty in an honor system.
"You will simply need to attest to the fact that you have one of those conditions, and vaccine will be provided to you," Willems Van Dijk said.