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Assembly Republicans want public to have vaccine by March

FILE - This May 4, 2020, file photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, shows the first patient enrolled in Pfizer's COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. Pfizer and BioNTech say they've won permission Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, for emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine in Britain, the world’s first coronavirus shot that’s backed by rigorous science -- and a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic. (Courtesy of University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP, File)

By: Associated Press

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The chairman of the Wisconsin Assembly Health Committee is proposing that the COVID-19 vaccine be available to the general public by mid-March, rather than June, as state health officials estimate.

His bill mandating that proposal is up for a public hearing Wednesday.

It grows out of criticism from Republican lawmakers about the distribution of the vaccine from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ administration.

Evers and the state’s health leaders have defended the rollout, saying the speed of vaccinations is limited by the number of doses sent by the federal government.

The bill is unlikely to become law. It has to pass the Senate and Assembly and be signed by Evers.

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