Wisconsin adults 65 and older eligible for COVID-19 vaccine starting Jan. 25

Posted: Jan 19, 2021 / 11:05 AM EST / Updated: Jan 19, 2021 / 11:05 AM EST

FILE – In this Jan. 12, 2021, file photo a pharmacist draws saline while preparing a dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in Sacramento, Calif. Mutations to the virus are rapidly popping up and the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the more likely it is that a variant that can elude current tests, treatments and vaccines could emerge. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, Pool, File)

MADISON, Wis. (WFRV) – The COVID-19 vaccine will be available to Wisconsinites that are over the age of 65 beginning on Jan. 25.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), adults over the age of 65 will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Jan. 25.

Currently, frontline health care workers, residents in long-term care facilities, and police and fire personnel are eligible.

According to a release, there are approximately 700,000 Wisconsinites who are 65 and older and Wisconsin currently receives around 70,000 first-dose vaccines per week from the federal government.

“Older adults have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and prioritizing this population will help save lives. Wisconsin systems and operations are ready to vaccinate more people. The amount of vaccine we get from the federal government will determine how quickly we can get these groups vaccinated. Our partners in health care, pharmacies and local public health are ready and up to the task,” says DHS Secretary-designee Andrea Palm.

Adults 65 and older have been recommended by the federal government and discussed by the Wisconsin State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee (SDMAC). The full recommendations from SDMAC on the rest of 1B eligibility will be voted on later this week.

According to officials, Wisconsinites who are 65 and older will be able to get the vaccine through their health care provider, pharmacy, or local or tribal public health agency. Those administering the vaccine with any additional vaccine on hand can begin to vaccinate those 65 and older prior to Jan. 25 if they have finished the previously eligible populations.

“Pharmacies are ready to vaccinate this population and other eligible populations, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with DHS and local public health to ensure our most vulnerable Wisconsinites receive the vaccine,” says Sarah Sorum, CEO of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin.