Everyone in Wisconsin over the age of 16 is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine starting April 5, Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday.
Currently, those with chronic health conditions were added to the list of eligibility on March 22.
Evers made the announcement on Tuesday, ahead of a scheduled COVID-19 update with the Department of Health Services.
The eligibility expansion comes as cases continue to rise across the state. Gov. Evers said more than 2,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 over the last five days.
"With eligibility opening up to all Wisconsinites next week, and especially with the holiday weekend upon us, we need folks to be as diligent as ever, whether you are vaccinated or not and continue to wear your mask," Evers said.
Officials in Milwaukee County say they will impose new restrictions if cases don't start to decrease over the next two weeks.
"The COVID-19 case numbers are headed in the wrong direction," said Milwaukee Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson. "This is a troubling development with significant consequences."
In Milwaukee County, officials recorded an average of 112 new cases on Tuesday, up from 77 at this time last week. That's more than a 45 percent increase.
"This is due to a loosening of precautions paired with the contagiousness of the new variants," said Dr. Ben Weston, the medical director of the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management.
Wisconsin currently leads the country in distributing COVID-19 vaccine supply, according to a Bloomberg vaccine tracker.
Also on Tuesday, theDHS announced an expansion of pharmacies that could request COVID-19 vaccines, including CVS, Costco, and Hy-Vee.