MADISON (WKOW) -- Local public health officials said Thursday they are still reviewing the newly-released federal guidance that fully vaccinated people can now go without masks in most indoor settings.
Public Health Madison and Dane County said in a statement it would update its local guidance next week.
"People who are vaccinated can be confident that their choice to roll up their sleeve has not only helped protect them and their loved ones, but has also helped our community reopen safely," the agency wrote in a statement. "We are currently evaluating our existing public health orders and plan to have an update next week on Tuesday."
PHMDC officials pointed to the county's declining rate of new cases and connected it to the vaccination rate here, which is thehighest in the state.
"I think it's really helpful and interesting to look at the rates of COVID decreasing with our rates of vaccination increasing and it's because those are directly correlated," said Covid Vaccine Deputy Tess Ellens.
Dane and Door counties are the only ones in Wisconsin where more than 60 percent of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. Thedaily rate of new casesper 100,000 in Dane County is now at 6.8.
The agency encouraged parents to bring in their adolescent children to get vaccinated as well. Thursday was the first day kids between the ages of 12 and 15 could receive the vaccine in Wisconsin after Pfizer's vaccine received emergency use authorization Wednesday for that age group.
"Totally understand that people have questions about [the safety of the vaccine in teens]," Ellens said. "But what I would say is no safety steps were cut in the process, even though it's not a full approval yet, it's still a very robust safety process to get an authorization."
Ellens said she expected having more teens join the county's vaccinated pool would drive case numbers down even further. She noted appointments were still available for as soon as Friday at the Alliant Energy Center vaccination site.
"While we know that rates for those hospitalized in that age group are low, we know kids can still transmit Covid," Ellens said. "So this is just one step closer for ensuring that schools are safe, that we just continue to open up."
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