With COVID-19 vaccines expected to be rolled out to select healthcare workers in Wisconsin in the coming weeks, Marinette County Public Health is saying they’re ready to distribute them on a mass scale once they become available to the general public early next year. Public Health Officer Molly Bonjean says the department’s experience hosting mass flu vaccination events has prepared them for the highly-anticipated COVID immunization and, like coronavirus testing, they’ve identified multiple potential sites where these shots can be administered to residents.

Two versions of the vaccine are expected to be rolled out initially and each is a two-dose series. They’re said to be around 95% effective, however, Bonjean says there’s no clear indication just yet of how long that protection will last.

National polls show about 61% of the population intends to get vaccinated, while the CDC is pushing for figures closer to 80% to achieve some sort of herd immunity against the virus. Marinette County Public Health has completed an application to become a vaccinator for the first round of these immunizations delivered to Wisconsin, but Bonjean says she’s not sure how many doses they’ll receive from that shipment. As of Wednesday, Marinette County has 3199 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 36 related deaths.