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On Monday, the office of Governor Tony Evers announced the launch of the state’s Pharmacy Distribution Program, as well as the beginning of on-site COVID-19 vaccinations at long-term nursing facilities within the state. The program is part of a public-private partnership between the federal government and major pharmacy retailers, including CVS and Walgreens. With the state’s distribution program, long-term care facilities will be paired with a corresponding retailer in their area, which will provide total management of on-site vaccinations. While medical workers are still receiving vaccinations, this essentially begins another step in phase 1a of vaccine distribution, as determined by the State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee’s Vaccine Distribution Subcommittee. Individuals at the highest risk are currently the priority for vaccinations.
The state has opted to use the Moderna vaccine for the Pharmacy Distribution Program, after announcing last week that a total of 100,000 doses will be delivered to Wisconsin. In addition to that, 35,100 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine is also being distributed throughout the state. Of Wisconsin’s Moderna supply, 56,800 doses of vaccine will be allocated to long-term care facilities, per the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
“This partnership will help reduce the strain on our long-term care facilities and help deliver the vaccine to those in higher-risk populations,” said Gov. Evers via statement. “Protecting our most vulnerable Wisconsinites is a top priority and will be a critical step for the success of Wisconsin’s COVID-19 Vaccine Program.”
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The Department of Health Services expects the Pharmacy Distribution Program to carry out at participating facilities for the next two months, until the vaccination situation is re-assessed. For continual updates regarding vaccine distribution, the Department of Health Services has established a page on their website to provide briefings and the latest information as it evolves.