Dodge County health care providers see declining interest in COVID-19 vaccinations

Jul. 20—Demand for COVID-19 vaccinations has dropped in Dodge County, even as the county vaccination rate lags behind the state average.

According to the latest data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 39.2 percent of Dodge County residents have completed the vaccine series. It is one of the lowest rates in Wisconsin's 72 counties.

The Centers for Disease Control has said the vaccine is safe and effective at preventing COVID-19, including severe illness and death, as well as the spread of the virus that causes it. It is effective against variants of the virus. Fully vaccinated people who are still infected are much less likely to spread the virus, get sick, be hospitalized or die.

Marshfield Medical Center—Beaver Dam, 707 S. University Ave., is transitioning its COVID-19 vaccine administration from a dedicated location off the lobby to the primary care clinic, now accessible through the main entrance. Appointments will be open to all on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Patients will be able to receive the vaccine on any day.

"As soon as we were aware we were going to be a vaccinator in Wisconsin, we popped up that COVID vaccine clinic to really meet the whole community need of giving the vaccine, said Nicole Scharfenberg, quality manager. "We're really proud of the movement we made with that, but as demand decreased, we changed the model now."

Scharfenberg said the hospital has gone from providing 200 to 250 vaccines a week to about 40 to 50 a week.

"It was really based on volume. We feel that those who were willing to come to a medical facility in this model, we have captured, and that volume was going down," she said. "Now we want to move it to where like we do for all vaccines. We really need to start treating this like every vaccine."

Trisha VandeBerg, RN and assistant manager for clinics, said it will be like offering a pneumonia shot with the goal of encountering as many people as possible to get them vaccinated.

Scharfenberg noted ongoing efforts by Marshfield and other organizations, like the racial justice group in Beaver Dam, to inform people about the science behind the vaccines and answer questions people who are still hesitant may have while addressing disparities in access.

She said it's important for people to understand how the vaccine will impact their lives in terms of making various activities safer or allowing them to take masks off in more environments. Scharfenberg said she has heard from people who pursued the vaccine after receiving information or incentives from employers and people who wanted to be able to participate on a sports team.

Scharfenberg and VandeBerg said the area vaccine rollout is a collaborative effort among local vaccinators and emphasized other outreach efforts like a recent pop-up clinic at the high school and plans for children to receive the vaccine in conjunction with sports physical clinics.

"Doing things like that where they don't have to take time out of their work day to go somewhere, we'll come to them," VandeBerg said. "Hopefully, doing events like that will entice them a little bit more."

Scharfenberg said she would ideally like to see a vaccine rate of over 70 percent to help reach herd immunity. Hospital officials stress reaching out to the hospital or providers with questions, as well as to people who have already been vaccinated.

Shelly Haberman, senior communications consultant for Agnesian HealthCare, confirmed that Agnesian is transitioning to providing vaccines in primary care clinics by appointment at Waupun'sFond du Lac Regional Clinic, 608 W. Brown St. Andrew Hellpap, media strategist for UW-Health, confirmed the UW-Health clinic in Beaver Dam, 705 S. University Ave., is on track to offer the vaccine in early August.

Dodge County Public Health continues to announce scheduled clinics for people to receive the vaccine. Public Health Officer Abby Sauer said the office is providing Moderna Clinics on Fridays, Pfizer clinics every three weeks, including one this Thursday, and pop-up clinics in the area with Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. Information is available on the county public health website.

Follow Chris Higgins on Twitter @chris_higgins_ or contact him at 920-356-6751 and chiggins@wiscnews.com.

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