MILWAUKEE CLERK GEORGE CHRISTENSEN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> THE NEW COVID-19 VACCINE IS INCREASINGLY AVAILABLE NOW, INCLUDING AT VACCINE CLINICS LIKE THIS ONE AT UW-MADISON THIS WEEK.

PHARMACIES ACROSS THE STATE ARE PROVIDING SHOTS FOR NO OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS WITH INSURANCE OR FREE FOR PEOPLE WITHOUT INSURANCE.

EVEN IN THE FIRST WEEKS AFTER APPROVAL, SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES HAVE MEANT AN UNEVEN STOCK OF VACCINE, RESULTING IN SOME DROPPED APPOINTMENTS.

ON THE INFECTION ITSELF, WHAT IS THE STATUS OF COVID ACTIVITY ACROSS THE STATE RIGHT NOW?

AND SHOULD WE EXPECT A FALL SURGE IN CASES?

FOR THE CURRENT LOOK, WE TURN TO WISCONSIN'S CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AND STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST, DR. RYAN WESTERGAARD.

NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN, DOCTOR.

>> YES.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ME BACK.

>> LATEST NUMBERS SHOW HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR COVID-19 GROWING AT 95%, IT SAID, IN THE NORTHEAST PORTION OF WISCONSIN.

IS THAT INDICATIVE OF A SURGE?

>> WELL, WE'VE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS FOR THE PAST A COUPLE OF MONTHS, AND HAVE SEEN THE VARIOUS REGIONS IN THE STATE SWITCH PLACES WITH RESPECT TO WHICH ARE INCREASING AND WHICH HAVE BEEN DEEMED DECREASING.

IN THE NORTHERN REGION, GOING UP BY THAT AMOUNT IS PROBABLY SIGNIFICANT, BUT COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL OR HISTORICAL LEVELS, IT'S STILL RELATIVELY LOW, AND THAT'S TRUE OF OUR CASE DATA AS WELL.

WE'RE SEEING A STEADY INCREASE IN HOW MUCH COVID ACTIVITY IS HAPPENING AROUND THE STATE, BUT IT'S STILL LOW BY HISTORICAL STANDARDS WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE WORST DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC IN THE PAST FEW YEARS.

>> AND SO WOULD YOU SAY EVEN THOUGH THESE REGIONS KIND OF SWAP PLACES IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH THE CASES ARE GROWING OR HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE GROWING, OVERALL, IS IT KIND OF A SLOW BURN RIGHT NOW WITH COVID CASES?

>> IT HAS BEEN.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT COVID THAT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER RESPIRATORY VIRUSES, LIKE FLU AND RSV.

THERE TENDS TO BE A FLU AND THEN IT COMES WITH A BIG SURGE.

COVID'S NEVER REALLY GONE AWAY.

WE FULLY EXPECT THAT IT COULD GET WORST IN THE WINTER, AS MOST RESPIRATORY VIRUSES DO, BUT A SLOW BURN OVER THE LATE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL IS A PRETTY ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT WE'VE SEEN.

>> HOW WELL DO EXPERTS THINK THE NEW VACCINE PROTECTS AGAINST THIS LATEST SUBVARIANT THAT WE'RE SEEING?

>> WELL, WE'RE VERY HOPEFUL.

THE DATA THAT THE C.D.C.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE USED TO RECOMMEND THE NEW FORMULATION SHOWED THAT, AT LEAST IN THE LABORATORY, THE ANTIBODIES THAT YOUR BODY GENERATES IN RESPONSE TO THIS NEW VACCINE ARE ABOUT TWICE AS EFFECTIVE AS NEUTRALIZING THE VIRUS PARTICLES THAN THE PREVIOUS COVID BOOSTER, SO WE HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THAT IT'S A PRETTY GOOD MATCH.

NO VIRUS IS PERFECT, AND AS WE'VE LEARNED AS TIME HAS GONE ON, COVID VACCINES ARE EXTREMELY HELPFUL FOR PREVENTING THE MOST DANGEROUS AND SEVERE COMPLICATIONS OF COVID-19, INCLUDING HOSPITALIZATION, ICU AT MISSION AND DEATH.

IT DOESN'T PREVENT ALL INFECTIONS, BUT IF SOMEONE COMES IN CONTACT WITH THE VIRUS, IT'S A VERY EFFECTIVE WAY OF REDUCING THE RISK OF SEVERE DISEASE.

>> WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE -- WHAT'S CALLED THE UPTICK OF VACCINES ACROSS WISCONSIN?

ARE PEOPLE GOING OUT AND GETTING THIS VACCINE?

>> WELL, IT'S PRETTY EARLY IN THE SEASON.

IT'S ONLY BEEN AROUND FOR A FEW WEEKS, SO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE RECEIVED A COVID-19 VACCINATION SIMILAR TO A FLU VACCINE, AND YOU SHOULD NO IT'S FLU VACCINE SEASON AS WELL, STILL LOW BY HISTORICAL STANDARDS.

AS YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR INTRO, THERE HAS BEEN SOME DELAY IN VACCINES GETTING TO DIFFERENT PHARMACIES AROUND THE STATE.

WHAT WE HEAR IS THAT THERE'S MORE THAN ENOUGH VACCINE ALREADY MANUFACTURED FOR EVERYONE WHO WANTS A VACCINE TO HAVE ONE, BUT IT MAY REQUIRE SOME PATIENTS, DEPENDING ON -- PATIENCE DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE FOR THE PHARMACY, SO THAT PEOPLE CAN GET IT WITHOUT DELAY.

>> SPEAKING OF THE FLU VACCINE, PEOPLE WONDER, CAN YOU GET BOTH AT THE SAME TIME?

>> YOU CERTAINLY CAN, AND WE RECOMMEND THAT FOR OUR CLINICAL PARTNERS, TO NOT MISS ANY OPPORTUNITIES TO GET A VACCINE.

IF IT'S AVAILABLE, IT'S SAFE AND RECOMMENDED TO GET BOTH AT THE SAME TIME.

>> IN TERMS OF WHAT'S BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUE WITH GETTING ENOUGH VACCINE INTO PHARMACIES, ET CETERA, THAT'S BECAUSE THERE'S KIND OF A SWITCH.

IT USED TO BE THAT THE GOVERNMENT BOUGHT IT ALL UP AND THEN DISPERSING IT OUT TO THE STAYED AND THEN IT'S OUT TO THE MARKET APPLICATION OF THIS?

>> WE'VE CALLED THAT THE COMMERCIALIZATION PROCESS.

SO THE FIRST TWO YEARS THAT VACCINES WERE AVAILABLE, YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT, THE GOVERNMENT BOUGHT THE ENTIRE SUPPLY AND MADE IT AVAILABLE FOR FREE TO PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES THROUGH THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, WHICH SET UP MASS VACCINATION CLINICS, DISTRIBUTED IT TO HOSPITALS AND COLLEGE OF .

WE CAN ACCESS THE QUID PRO QUO COVID-19VACCINATION INCREASINGLH PHARMACIES.

THE OTHER DIFFERENCE, OF COURSE, NOW IS THAT INSURANCE DOES COVER VACCINES, WHEREAS BEFORE THEY WERE FREE FOR EVERYONE, SO PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE INSURANCE FOR VACCINES, CAN STILL GET A FREE VACCINE, BUT THEY NEED TO GO TO ONE OF THE PLACES THAT'S PARTICIPATING IN SOMETHING CALLED THE BRIDGE ACCESS PROGRAM, AND YOU CAN FIND LOCATIONS IN YOUR AREA PARTICIPATING IN THAT PROGRAM BY GOING TO VACCINES DOT GOING TO .