GREEN BAY, Wis (NBC 26) -- Today an estimated two million people became eligible for a vaccine. But are there enough doses for everyone? On Monday local healthcare leaders shared how right now, appointments are more available than at any other point during the pandemic.
Cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity are all health conditions that will qualify millions of people in Wisconsin for a COVID-19 vaccination starting on Monday. Sharla Baenen the Chief Operating Officer at Bellin Health says the appointments tend to fill up fast, but right now there are still opportunities to get an appointment.
"I think you could probably go online now and get an appointment this week."
Baenen says thanks to an increase in the supply of vaccines more people are getting vaccinated and fewer are struggling to get an appointment.
"Our supply just about doubled and that's what has really helped this process and made us, not hold our breath when they opened it up to this next group," says Baenen.
Moderna, Phizer, and now Johnson and Johnson have all rolled out versions of the COVID-19 vaccine, and right now the output is only increasing. Dr. Ashok Rai the CEO of Prevea Health says the increase in doses is happening on both a state-wide and local level.
"If you look at when we opened up to 65 or older, I think we were getting anywhere from 70 to 80 thousand (doses) a week in the state. Now it's well over 100 thousand and expected to be over 200 thousand very soon."
Dr. Rai says the state will likely be getting more doses of the newest vaccine from Johnson and Johnson in April. And while that will only further fill the needs of the community, he says you shouldn't be frustrated if you start to notice appointments getting more difficult to schedule.
"The opportunities to get vaccinated will increase but right now it's still a lot of people trying to get in so everybody just needs to be patient."
Typically, vaccinators find out how much supply they are getting from the state on Monday, and with those numbers changing from week to week, hospital leaders say that checking for available appointments frequently is the safest bet to lock in your appointment.
"The ones we opened up for this Monday through next Tuesday filled up pretty quickly. Now we're going to be opening up more later on today," adds Dr. Rai.
To schedule an appointment online withBellin Health or Prevea Health you will need to sign up with a username and password on their websites. If you are looking for appointment recommendations or tips, from those who have gone through the process, there is a Facebook group known as the Milwaukee and Wisconsin Area Vaccine Hunters and Angels.
