COVID numbers remain high
With hospitals locally and throughout the region full with COVID-19 patients, many of whom are unvaccinated, the county’s low rate of vaccination is drawing attention and worry among frontline healthcare workers.
A front page story in the Wisconsin State Journal highlighted the challenges facing rural healthcare providers along with testimonials from frontline providers about the challenges they are facing.
“The story and testimonials you mentioned above by our fellow healthcare workers who are our friends, family members, neighbors and coworkers should raise our awareness of the seriousness of this issue in Wisconsin and most importantly in Taylor County,” said Patty Krug, Taylor County Public Health director.
Taylor County has the lowest amount of people vaccinated against COVID-19 across the state with 7,021 people having received at least one vaccination dose. This works out to be 34.6% of the eligible population.
However, the numbers are not as bleak when broken down by age groups. Among those 65 and older, considered among the most at risk throughout the pandemic, 61.3% of residents have had at least one dose of a vaccine, with 59.8% having completed the full vaccination series. The percentage of people vaccinated drops steadily for younger groups with 45.8% of those 55 to 64 years old having at least one vaccine dose and the number dropped into the 30s for those 35 to 54 and into the 20s for those 18 to 34 years old.
According to Taylor County Public Health Director Patty Krug, county residents in general vaccinate lower than the state average with childhood vaccination rates birth to 2 years of age for the primary series generally falling between 6064%.
While far from stellar, the rate for routine vaccinations in Taylor County is far above the rate for the COVID-19 vaccines, which people seem especially hesitant to take.
“People are hesitant to take the vaccine because we have heard its considered experimental or its personal choice whether they want it for themselves or family members,” Krug said.
Based on the number attending local vaccination clinics run by the health department, Krug said she does not anticipate the county’s vaccination rates climbing much any time soon.
“Our first clinic was 168 individuals, our second clinic 225 and our third clinic which we ran out of Moderna vaccine was over 100,” Krug said, noting this is the number the health department staff immunized and that they do not know the number the National Guard immunized or were immunized at commercial facilities such as Walmart.
With the younger age groups of 5 to 11 years old eligible for the first rounds of vaccinations and 16 year olds eligible for booster shots, overall vaccination numbers may go up. At the same time, the support previously given to the health department from the Wisconsin National Guard to run vaccination and testing clinics, is being redirected to assist healthcare providers deal with the growing number of patients in the hospitals.
Krug said she expects the number of COVID-related deaths to climb. This number is compiled as it is received from medical examiners/coroners as the reports are filed with vital statistics and reports to state DHS.
“Our numbers for deaths have increased and will continue to do so based on when the state DHS has the numbers,” Krug said.
“The health department continues to do our best to provide disease investigations and contact tracing, sponsoring and paying the two times a week testing by the private lab and setting up the logistics and manpower for our vaccinations teams. The next two weeks for the vaccination clinics at the Medford Fire Hall will be health department staff and an Aspirus EMT because we understand the need to provide additional opportunities locally for COVID vaccinations. These are walk-in clinics and forms can be completed at the Medford Fire Hall or using the link for the form prior to coming to the clinic,” Krug said.
