MILWAUKEE — The COVID-19 vaccine is set to come available to more people starting Monday.
Those over the age of 65 will be joined by teachers, child care staff and some front-line essential workers now eligible for the vaccine.
Danette Justus, an academic coach at Siefert Elementary School said she’s locked and loaded, ready to receive her COVID-19 vaccine this week.
Monday, she’ll be eligible for the vaccine, but says she will receive the first dose of her vaccine Wednesday.
"This has been a year and it make you appreciate the good, the bad, the ugly and all of that,” she said.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the following are eligible for the vaccine:
EDUCATORS AND CHILD CARE:
All staff in in education settings will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This includes:
All staff in regulated child care, public and private school programs, out-of-school time programs, virtual learning support, and community learning center programs.
All staff in Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCAs.
All staff in preschool and Head Start through K-12 education settings.
Faculty and staff in higher education settings who have direct student contact.
MEDICAID LONG TERM CARE PATIENTS:
Members of Family Care and Family Care Partnership
Participants in IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct)
Children ages 16 years and older in the following programs:
Children’s Long-Term Support Waiver Program
Katie Beckett Program
Children’s Community Options Program (CCOP)
Children Come First
Wrap Around Milwaukee
Children with Medical Complexity Program
PUBLIC FACING ESSENTIAL WORKERS:
911 operators
Utility and communications infrastructure
Workers who cannot socially distance and are responsible for the fundamental processes and facilities that ensure electric, natural gas, steam, water, wastewater, internet, and telecommunications services are built, maintained, generated, distributed, and delivered to customers.
Public transit: Drivers who have frequent close contact with members of the public, limited to: public and commercial intercity bus transportation services: municipal public transit services: those employed by specialized transit services for seniors, disabled persons, and low-income persons
Food supply chain
Agricultural production workers, such as farm owners and other farm employees.
Critical workers who provide on-site support to multiple agricultural operations, such as livestock breeding and insemination providers, farm labor contractors, crop support providers, and livestock veterinarians.
Food production workers, such as dairy plant employees, fruit and vegetable processing plant employees, and animal slaughtering and processing employees.
Retail food workers, such as employees at grocery stores, convenience stores, and gas stations that also sell groceries.
Hunger relief personnel, including people involved in charitable food distribution, community food and housing providers, social services employees who are involved in food distribution, and emergency relief workers.
NON FRONTLINE ESSENTIAL HEALTHCARE WORKERS:
SDMAC defines non-frontline essential health care personnel as personnel who are not involved in direct patient care but are essential for health system infrastructure. These staff are often affiliated with hospitals, but non-hospital employee non-frontline employees are also included.
Categories of non-frontline essential health care personnel job titles and settings include:
Public health
Emergency management
Cyber security
Health care critical supply chain functions, including the production, manufacturing, and distribution of vaccine
Support roles, such as cleaning, HVAC, and refrigeration, critical to health system function
CONGREGATE LIVING FACILITY STAFF AND RESIDENTS:
Staff and residents of congregate living facilities. Some settings in this group may be non-voluntary or provide services to marginalized populations - meaning residents do not have the resources or choice to mitigate exposure. According to SDMAC’s guidance, congregate living facility staff and residents include those living or working in:
Employer-based housing: Housing provided by an employer for three or more unrelated individuals that share bedrooms.
Housing serving the elderly or people with disabilities: Residents of housing that meets the definitions of an adult family home, independent living apartments, community-based residential facility, residential care complex, state center for the disabled, mental health institute, and county-based center for the disabled.
Shelters: Shelter provided to those who are homeless and/or in need of protection (for example, domestic violence shelters).
Transitional housing: A project that is designed to provide housing and appropriate supportive services to homeless persons to facilitate movement to independent living when such facilities include shared bedrooms.
Incarcerated individuals: Individuals in jails, prisons, and mental health institutes.