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Wisconsin has detected just 605 “breakthrough” COVID-19 infections among 1.8 million residents who are fully vaccinated, David Wahlberg of the Wisconsin State Journal reports. That infection rate of 0.03% demonstrates the staggering effectiveness of getting two injections of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines or a single Johnson & Johnson shot.
“That’s a higher share than the 0.008% represented by 7,157 breakthrough cases among more than 87 million fully immunized Americans reported last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” Wahlberg reports. “But the CDC said the national tally is an undercount, and experts say some infections are expected among those fully vaccinated because no vaccine is 100% effective.”
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services released the data Tuesday after previously declining to do so. About half of Wisconsinites with breakthrough infections reported no symptoms, officials told Wahlberg.
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Just 0.03% of fully vaccinated in Wisconsin have gotten COVID-19, state says — Wisconsin State Journal
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Quotable
“With such a small percentage of breakthrough cases, but with COVID-19 still active in our state, we continue to encourage everyone to get vaccinated with one of the three highly effective COVID-19 vaccines available.”
Jennifer Miller, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health Services, speaking to the Wisconsin State Journal
Data to note
Here’s a look at the Department of Health Services’ vaccine dashboard, which showed Wednesday that 42.5% of Wisconsinites have received at least once vaccine dose, including 80.5% of those ages 65 and older. Meanwhile, 32.4% of Wisconsinites are fully vaccinated, including 74.4% of those older than 65. Racial disparities persist in distributing vaccines. The shares of Black, Hispanic and Native American residents to receive a dose remain below that of white residents.
Public health officials continue to urge Wisconsinites to wear masks indoors and practice physical distancing until vaccinations are more widely distributed — particularly as more contagious virus variants spread. On Wednesday, the state DHS reported a seven-day average of 612 new cases, continuing a downward trend over the past two weeks. The state also reported a seven-day average of 12 COVID-19 deaths, pushing the full toll to 6,807.
WisContext offers this visualization:
Find a vaccine site near you
DHS has partnered with Vaccine Finder to help Wisconsinites find vaccinations. Vaccinations are generally by appointment only and it may take time to schedule appointments with providers due to limited supplies of vaccines.
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A prom without dancing? Many Wisconsin high schoolers will still get to have their big night — but with some unusual adjustments — USA TODAY NETWORK — Wisconsin
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