Wisconsin reported 689 new coronavirus cases and 13 deaths Saturday.<\/b>
\nMADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin reported 689 new coronavirus cases and 13 deaths Saturday. The state’s seven-day average of new cases as reported by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services was 617. More than 560,000 people in Wisconsin have tested positive for COVID-19 and 6,412 have died of the disease since the pandemic started. State data shows over half of Wisconsin residents age 65 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and the state is on track to begin vaccinating teachers, child care workers and other eligible groups Monday. Some of the newly eligible groups include public transit workers, utility workers and food supply chain workers – including retail food workers. State health officials say those age 65 and older should continue to be prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine. As of Friday, about 15% of all Wisconsin residents had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 7.6% had two doses. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S. has plummeted by 80,000 in six weeks, and nearly 20% of the nation’s adult population has gotten vaccines. The improvements offer some relief to front-line workers. St. Louis respiratory therapist Joe Kowalczyk recalled that when COVID-19 patients were inundating the region’s hospitals, colleagues arriving for yet another grueling shift with a dwindling supply of ventilators would often glance at their assignments and cry. On his most recent shift at Mercy Hospital St. Louis, there were only about 20 coronavirus patients, down from as many as 100 at the peak of the surge. Wisconsin will open four more community vaccination clinics across the state amid a push to inoculate people for the coronavirus in underserved areas. One clinic is already running in Janesville. Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday that new community clinics will be in La Crosse, Racine and Marathon counties, with a fourth split between Douglas and Barron counties in northwest Wisconsin. They are all expected to open within the next two months. Also,178 Walgreens locations that are part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program are receiving twice as much vaccine this week than last. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has warned of a recent spike in COVID-19 cases. The university health services email came Friday, a day after a more contagious variant was detected in the county. Jake Baggott, the head of University Health Services, warned of a \u00ab\u00a0significant increase\u00a0\u00bb in COVID-19 cases among students on and off campus. He says there were 112 confirmed cases reported Wednesday and 99 more on Thursday. UW President Tommy Thompson said Thursday that he directed chancellors to ensure that students at every campus could attend at least 75% of classes in person this fall, citing a low infection rate in the system’s schools. Wisconsin health officials are launching a new online COVID-19 vaccine registry next month. The registry will help people determine if they’re eligible for a shot, let them know where they can get it and allow them to schedule an appointment. A number of local health departments will start testing the registry in their communities starting next week with a full launch on March 1. If a person’s local health department is participating in the registry he or she will able to access it starting then. The registry will be open to other vaccinators by April 1.<\/p>\n