STURGEON BAY, Wis.—  Applause and clicks of camera shutters ushered in the first Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations in Wisconsin at a  number of the state’s larger healthcare systems. 

For smaller and rural facilities, the wait, and preparations, continue.

At Door County Medical Center in Sturgeon Bay, chief medical officer Dr. Jim Heise said it’s not known exactly when they will see the first vaccines, but it doesn’t appear to be far off.

“The Moderna vaccine is going to be shipped directly to vaccinators, of which we’re one,” he said. “That I expect to see probably next week.”

Approval of the Modern vaccine is pending. Unlike the Pfizer product — which requires ultra-cold storage — it may prove easier to distribute in smaller communities and rural areas.

Frontline health care providers and people in long-term care facilities will be at the top of the list for the first vacations. That means the general public will have to wait a little bit.

“As far as the general community at large, I think we’re looking at probably February into March until such time there will be widespread vaccinations,” Heise said.

He said the medical center has already fielded calls from people seeking the vacation as soon as possible. Plans are being developed to address mass distribution.

While many of the first vaccinations are happening in larger communities, small towns and rural areas are front of mind for planners. Health care systems like Bellin and Prevea in Green Bay have registered their rural clinics as vaccinator sites — including those in the upper peninsula of Michigan. 

“Right now, the sites are ready to vaccinate and the state will start to distribute vaccines that are appropriate for rural sites,” said Dr. Ashok Rai, president and CEO, Prevea Health. “Our goal was to make sure every community, and every member of the community, would have access to the vaccine as soon as it was available.”​