Will County Health Department officials said their initial rounds of pediatric COVID-19 vaccine clinics have exceeded their expectations as many of the children have received their second dose of the two-shot series.
The health department set up clinics for children who are 5 to 11 years old at various schools during November after the pediatric Pfizer vaccine was approved for younger children by the Food and Drug Administration and recommended by the Center for Disease Control.
Appointments filled up quickly and some reservations for clinics were filled within hours, said Katie Weber, the health department’s emergency response coordinator.
Clinics at Joliet West, Plainfield North and Bolingbrook high schools were completely booked for evening and weekend clinics, and about 400 children were seen at each site, Weber said.
“They exceeded our expectations,” Weber said. “We are very happy we could fill them and fill them quickly.”
The vaccine clinic at the health department, 501 Ella Ave., Joliet, continues to offer the Pfizer pediatric vaccine Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Parents can bring their children there for the pediatric vaccine, and the health department will consider vaccine clinics at schools after the holidays, Weber said.
There are nearly 73,000 children age 5 to 11 in Will County and about 15.7% have received their first dose, said Becky Colwell-Ongenae, the county’s geographic information system manager.
Initial county health data show that younger children receiving the COVID-19 vaccine follows similar trends to when vaccines were rolled out for adults and older children.
The county relies on sophisticated interactive mapping software designed by Esri, which also provides mapping technology during emergencies and disaster response, to track vaccination rates in the various suburbs. The northern portion of Will County, including Naperville and Aurora, have a higher vaccination rate for both children and adults than the southern end of the county, Colwell-Ongenae said.
Health officials use the software to search vaccination rates using census data, gender, race, age, income-level and other factors to see who they need to talk to about getting the vaccine and how they can combat misinformation. The color-coded system allows them to visualize which portions of the county have greater vaccination rates, which areas they need to target and where they need to provide additional educational campaigns about the importance of vaccinations.
In the coming weeks, county officials expect to give out their one millionth COVID-19 vaccine.
“It’s been a long push. It’s been a lot of work, but we’ve done a really, really good job,” Weber said. “There’s always that balance that we are doing the most that we can, but how do you reach that population that just doesn’t want to get vaccinated or are just so hesitant. It is trying to figure out how to reach that population.”
Weber said parents can gain a better sense of security to send their children to school, participate in extracurricular activities and see loved ones around the holidays with the pediatric vaccine.
“The more people we can get vaccinated, the better off we will be,” Weber said. “We’re going to have breakthrough infections. We all know this. However, if you can get vaccinated, you are going to prevent yourself from having that serious illness.”
Will County is also using state data to monitor the omicron variant, which has recently entered the United States, Weber said.
Children between the ages of 5 and 11 represent 9% of the U.S. population overall, but they’ve recently made up about 25% of all new COVID-19 cases, said Dr. Este Geraghty, chief medical officer for Esri.
“Vaccinating kids will help decrease community spread of disease,” Geraghty said. “It will inhibit the development of new and potentially more dangerous mutations, and it will create a more normal school experience going forward.”
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter.
