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DHS Official: Herd Immunity Might Come This Fall In Wisconsin

Willems Van Dijk Has Previously Said 70 Percent Of Wisconsin's Population Would Need To Be Vaccinated To Attain Herd Immunity

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Madison resident Chia Yang, 56, gets her first dose of the Moderna vaccine at a clinic put on by The Hmong Institute
Madison resident Chia Yang, 56, gets her first dose of the Moderna vaccine at a clinic put on by The Hmong Institute, in Madison, Wis., on March 9, 2021. Asian-American families in Wisconsin and nationally are more likely to live in multigenerational households, which are more at risk of contracting COVID-19. Coburn Dukehart/Wisconsin Watch

A key state health department leader is hedging on whether Wisconsin can attain COVID-19 herd immunity by mid-2021.

State Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk has previously said 70 percent of Wisconsin’s population would need to be vaccinated to attain herd immunity and the state could reach that benchmark by July.

But vaccination rates have slowed dramatically and are now growing at only about 1 percent a week.

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Willems Van Dijk told The Associated Press it’s still possible Wisconsin reaches the 70 percent mark by July if vaccination rates increase but right now, it appears the state won’t get there until September or October.

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