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NOV. 5, 2021 — Marshfield Medical Center-Beaver Dam is now scheduling pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations for its Beaver Dam Clinic.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services authorized vaccinators to begin administering the Pfizer pediatric COVID-19 vaccine for those aged 5-11 after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed off on Tuesday.
The pediatric COVID-19 vaccine will be administered in the Beaver Dam clinic on the fourth floor of the medical office building, 705 S. University Ave., Beaver Dam. To schedule a vaccine appointment, call 1-855-908-5029.
OCT. 22, 2021 — The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation that certain populations who have increased risk of exposure to or transmission of COVID-19 receive a booster shot of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after having received their second dose of the Moderna vaccine, and that individuals age 18 and older who received the J & J COVID-19 vaccine receive a booster dose at least two months after their primary vaccine dose.
DHS continues to await publication of the CDC clinical guidance for Moderna and J&J booster doses. Once those are published, vaccinators in Wisconsin will be able to begin providing booster doses and ensure they are following the safest protocols.
The CDC also recommended that health care professionals be allowed to provide a different COVID-19 vaccine as a booster than the one initially received, providing flexibility to health care providers and additional options for individuals. This recommendation applies to all three COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States.
Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 booster recommendation:
DHS recommends that the following populations MAY receive a booster dose of Pfizer at least six months after receiving their second dose of Pfizer vaccine, after considering their individual risks and benefits:
This list could be updated in the future.
J & J booster dose recommendation:
DHS recommends that the following populations receive a booster dose of J & J vaccine at least 2 months after receiving their first dose in order to further strengthen their immunity:
A booster dose serves a different purpose than the additional dose recommended for certain immunocompromised people in early August. The additional doses are for people with certain medical conditions or who are receiving certain treatments leaving them moderately or severely immunocompromised and who may not have built a strong enough immune response after their initial vaccine. In contrast, a ‘booster dose’ refers to another dose of a vaccine that is given to someone who built enough protection after their initial vaccination, but then that protection decreased over time—also referred to as waning immunity. Evidence suggests that immunity is waning over time for some people who were initially well-protected by the vaccine. For those people, a booster dose will strengthen and extend their protection against infection, serious illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19.
With the high-level of disease transmission in Wisconsin, DHS continues to urge everyone who is not vaccinated to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and for all people to add additional layers of protection including masking up indoors, staying home when feeling sick, and avoiding large indoor gatherings.
MAY 13, 2021 — Marshfield Medical Center-Beaver Dam (MMC-BD) has announced it is now providing COVID-19 vaccinations for adolescents 12-15 years of age. MMC-BD hosts ongoing walk-in clinics every Tuesday and Thursday as well as every third Saturday utilizing the two-dose Pfizer vaccine, which is now approved for those 12 and older.
As minors, individuals age 12-17 must have a parent or guardian present to receive the vaccine. Individuals age 12-17 should bring their parent with them, have their parent/guardian and have their parent complete this form.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccination to include youth aged 12-15 on Monday. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has made the vaccine available to this age group after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave its final approval Wednesday.
No safety concerns were found for up to eight weeks following vaccination of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in more than 1,100 adolescents (12-15 years of age) during the phase 3 clinical trial. These results are comparable to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial results for older populations. More than 130 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have now been administered safely in the U.S.