MILWAUKEE — The delta variant has changed the pandemic game in Wisconsin.
As the summer comes to a close, the highly contagious variant is putting the Badger State in a precarious spot.
Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all spiking in the state yet again. More vaccinated residents are testing positive (though still at much lower rates than unvaccinated people). And health officials said it’s again time to mask up.
In the meantime, federal health officials have given the Pfizer shots an extra stamp of approval — and are giving some vulnerable groups the option for a third dose.
Here, we break down all the latest pandemic updates to know this week.
The state of the surge
As of Wednesday, Wisconsin was averaging almost 1,700 confirmed cases per day, according to DHS data — the highest rate since January.
Severe outcomes are on the rise, too. Across the state, COVID-19 hospitalizations have more than tripled since the end of July, according to data from the Wisconsin Hospital Association.
And Wisconsin reported more than 140 coronavirus deaths over the course of August — compared to just 38 deaths in the month of July and 49 deaths in June, per DHS data.
“We are clearly seeing a surge in cases, and with that, we are now seeing a surge in hospitalizations and deaths,” Traci DeSalvo, director of the DHS Bureau of Communicable Diseases, said at a briefing.
Nearly all new cases in Wisconsin are coming from the highly contagious delta variant, according to the state’s genetic surveillance data.
The variant really “changes the game” when it comes to fighting the virus, state epidemiologist Ryan Westergaard said at a recent briefing.
“Essentially, everything that we need to do to minimize the spread of the virus, we need to do better and more of when we have a more infectious variant,” Westergaard said. “We have the same tools, but we need to implement them much more aggressively to have the same impact.”
Vaccination is our most powerful tool, he said. But other defenses, like wearing a mask and limiting gatherings, are also important now that delta has surpassed other variants.
The CDC now recommends wearing a mask indoors, no matter your vaccination status, if you live in a county with “high” or “substantial” COVID-19 transmission — which includes almost the entire state of Wisconsin.
Breakthrough infections
The “overwhelming majority” of cases, hospitalizations and deaths are showing up in Wisconsinites who are not fully vaccinated, DeSalvo said.
But breakthrough infections among vaccinated people have started to show up more as the delta surge tears through the state.
As of the latest DHS data, there were 125.4 confirmed, or probable cases per 100,000 fully vaccinated people in July. That’s a significant jump from the rate of 56.6 cases per 100,000 in February.
The rise in post-vax cases shows, in part, the effect of delta, DeSalvo said. Compared to previous strains, Wisconsin is seeing more breakthroughs with the highly infectious variant, she said.
Still, unvaccinated Wisconsinites are testing positive at almost three times the rate of vaccinated residents, DHS data shows.
The difference is especially stark when you look at severe outcomes: Compared to vaccinated Wisconsinites, residents who are not fully vaccinated saw hospitalization rates that were 3.7 times higher and death rates that were 11 times higher in July.
So, the vaccines are succeeding at their goal of protecting people from getting really sick, DHS officials said — even though the high level of transmission means some breakthrough infections are bound to happen.
“The message is yes, if the pandemic is heating up, if there’s more cases everywhere, it’s going to affect both vaccinated and unvaccinated people,” Westergaard said. “Although to a much greater degree, people who are not protected by vaccines.”
Vaccine progress
More than 54% of all Wisconsinites have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the DHS reports, and more than 51% have finished their vaccine series for full protection.
The state’s vaccination rate has sped up a bit recently after a steep summer dropoff. The number of vaccine doses has risen every week since mid-July, according to DHS data.
Vaccinators in the state gave out more than 68,000 doses in the week of Aug. 22 — still below the peaks of the spring, but more than an 80% jump from early July.
Nationwide, the pace of vaccination has also accelerated alongside the surging COVID-19 numbers.
And the state is still pushing to get that rate up: Gov. Tony Evers and the DHS announced that any residents who get their shots from now through Labor Day can receive a $100 Visa gift card.
“It’s that simple: Get vaccinated. Get $100,” Evers said in a statement announcing the reward program. “I'm calling on all eligible Wisconsinites who have not gotten their COVID-19 vaccine yet to step up, roll up their sleeve, and do their part to help protect our state and put an end to COVID-19.”
Wisconsin offers boosters to immunosuppressed people
Residents with certain conditions that weaken the immune system can now get a third dose of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine to boost their protection, the DHS announced in August.
The statewide recommendation came after recent guidance from the FDA and CDC. It’s based on data showing that some immunocompromised patients don’t develop a strong immune response even after two mRNA doses.
Patients can qualify based on a range of conditions, including: Organ transplants, treatment for tumors or blood cancers, advanced or untreated HIV, treatment with drugs that suppress the immune response, stem cell transplants, or other conditions that cause immunodeficiency.
Wisconsinites who fall into these groups can now get their third dose through the same process as their other shots, Westergaard said. The CDC recommends waiting at least four weeks between second and third doses.
Guidance for immunocompromised people who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is still in the works.
Federal health officials have said they are looking into offering booster shots to the general public soon. But for now, the third doses are only available for patients within the specific qualifying categories, Westergaard said.
Pfizer shots get full FDA approval
On Aug. 23, the FDA granted full approval to the COVID-19 vaccine created by Pfizer-BioNTech — giving it an extra vote of confidence.
The Pfizer vaccine, like the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots, was being distributed under an emergency-use authorization from the FDA.
Vaccines already have to go through extensive scientific review and meet a high bar for safety and efficacy to receive an EUA, health officials emphasized. But getting to full approval requires even more long-term data.
The Pfizer mRNA vaccines are now fully approved for those ages 16 and up, though it’s still under an emergency-use authorization for people ages 12 to 15.
Federal officials hoped the seal of full approval could increase confidence in the shots. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll from June found that around 30% of unvaccinated adults said they’d be more likely to get their shots if the FDA fully approved a vaccine.
“It has now happened,” President Joe Biden said in a speech announcing the decision. “The moment you've been waiting for is here. It's time for you to go get your vaccination and get it today.”
The full approval also makes it easier for companies and other groups to mandate vaccines. A wide range of employers announced vaccine requirements in the wake of the FDA’s decision — among them the U.S. military, CVS, Facebook, McDonald’s, Walmart and United Airlines.
A vaccine mandate for Milwaukee city employees went into effect Wednesday.
“We have an obligation to provide a safe workplace for all employees, and a vaccinated workforce is part of that,” Mayor Tom Barrett said in a statement announcing the requirement.