Vaccinations plateau as variants rise in Wisconsin
April 23, 2021 7:20 PM Site staff
Updated:
MADISON, Wis. Weekly vaccinations in Wisconsin have dipped a bit from an all-time high in early April, when the state received an unusually high supply of J&J vaccines before the federal government called a now-lifted halt on their administration.
The plateau comes as active variants rise, with Rock County reporting new variants this week while the number of known sequenced variants rising to more than 900, according to the latest data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
State health officials warn that there’s still concern about a variant-related COVID-19 surge in Wisconsin, which the DHS chief medical officer Dr. Ryan Westergaard says typically follows neighboring Michigan by about a month in variant data.
Rock County health officials worry a coronavirus variant strain might be driving a jump in local COVID-19 hospitalizations.
The countyâs COVID-19 hospitalizations more than doubled in one weekâfrom seven on April 5 to 17 on Monday, according to data from the Rock County Public Health Department.
The last time the county saw hospitalization numbers that high was Feb. 10, as hospitalizations were declining after fall and winter surges.
Epidemiologist Nick Zupan said Monday he fears the B.1.1.7 variant coronavirus strain, which was detected in Rock County in recent weeks, might be driving hospitalizations up.
The variant spreads more easily than the traditional virus that causes COVID-19. It also can contribute to more severe illness, Zupan said.
Rock Co pauses Johnson & Johnson vaccinations, reminds residents blood clots extremely rare | 97 Seven Country WGLR - The Tri-States Best Variety of Country wglr.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wglr.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The CDC and FDA announced a recommendation to pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after 6 reported cases of a rare blood clot condition among the 6.8 million doses that have already been given out.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services instructed all vaccinators in the state to pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine until more information can be gathered on the blood clot condition. During a press briefing Tuesday afternoon, DHS deputy secretary Julie Willems-Van Dijk said they expect the pause to be short.
Health officials in Rock County are stressing the risk of getting a blood clot as a result of COVID-19 is actually much higher than the risk of the vaccine, since the reported cases of blood clots from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine represents just 0.000088% of the total doses given.
Rock County Public Health Department reports variant strain of COVID-19 gazettextra.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gazettextra.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.