Demand High for Children’s Vaccines

Dr. Amy Fogerty (left) and Dr. Jim Heise of Door County Medical Center discuss vaccinations for children during a Facebook Live session Monday, Nov. 15.

Dr. Jim Heise, chief medical officer at Door County Medical Center, and Dr. Amy Fogerty, a pediatrician, discussed vaccinations for children ages 5-11 during a Facebook Live session Monday. Those vaccinations are now being offered at the hospital, through Door County Public Health and at Walmart. 

“I am strongly recommending the vaccine for all children who are eligible,” Fogerty said.

The hospital had administered vaccines to about 100 children ages 5-11 as of Monday, Fogerty said, and Public Health had done about the same number. Fogerty said she has not received a single call about side effects related to the vaccines administered to children and said the hospital is working to add more availability to keep up with the demand for children’s vaccinations.

“As always happens when we open a vaccine to a new group, the floodgates open, and we’re trying to accommodate the best we can,” Fogerty said. 

In Door County, 80% of adults ages 18 and older have completed the vaccination series. 

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Door County have remained steady this month, with as few as one patient hospitalized Nov. 3 and a high of four on Nov. 14. 

The most recent seven-day average of hospitalizations for COVID-19 in the northeast Wisconsin region is 130, down from 165 on Oct. 15. The region reached a high of 189 on Nov. 20, 2020. 

Since the pandemic began, Door County has reported 150 total hospitalizations, including 15 during the past six weeks. Hospitalizations began ticking up in July after remaining below five per month from February through June. The county has had 10 or more hospitalizations for COVID-19 each month since.