Wisconsin Health Officials Urge Respiratory Illness Vaccination
The plea comes as some face roadblocks and confusion to get the COVID-19 shot amid federal changes.
Vaccination. (Pixabay License)
As the weather grows colder, Wisconsin health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated for several respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.
The plea comes as people are facing more confusion and hurdles over getting a COVID shot.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said respiratory viruses typically ramp up in the fall. Although levels of illness are low now, health officials are advising residents to get vaccinated now for the flu, RSV and COVID-19. Tom Haupt, a respiratory disease epidemiologist for DHS, said it can take up to two weeks for the vaccines to fully protect against those viruses.
“Vaccines not only protect you, but they also prevent the spread of viruses, which is important for everyone, especially people who become very sick from these viruses,” Haupt said.
Last year, about 7,000 people in Wisconsin were hospitalized due to complications with seasonal flu. Haupt said it was one of the most severe flu seasons in the last decade. Nationally, more than 280 children died due to complications from the flu last year, including five in Wisconsin.
WPR previously reported that some Wisconsin parents have struggled to get COVID-19 shots for their kids as confusion has spread under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Wisconsin Immunization Program Manager Stephanie Schauer acknowledged struggles among some to obtain the shot that has resulted from federal changes to who is recommended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We do anticipate that access will be getting better, and as providers are receiving vaccines that access will open up,” Schauer said.
In August, the Food and Drug Administration restricted COVID-19 shots to people 65 and older or those at serious risk of disease. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, has said the shots are available to those who choose to get them “after consulting with their doctors.”
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention accepted the controversial new guidelines from Kennedy’s handpicked members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, NPR reported.
Wisconsin health officials continue to advise widespread vaccination against COVID for anyone over 6 months old.
Schauer said vaccination levels for COVID-19 are likely behind previous years.
“But we know that there’s been a lot of interest, and hope that it’ll continue to gain momentum,” Schauer said.
Health officials stressed that the COVID-19 virus can cause serious illness and that the new COVID shot provides protection from strains currently circulating. Schauer noted 41 percent of children 6 months to 17 years old who were hospitalized with COVID last year had no underlying condition.
As for the flu, Haupt said last year might have been more severe due to lower vaccination rates and a more severe strain of the virus.
“But there is a lot of research going on as to why this was the particular case,” Haupt said. “We’re just hoping that this year is going to be a much better year with higher vaccination rates (and) good vaccine efficacy.”
In the last month, the state has seen dozens of hospitalizations for COVID and influenza, as well as periodic hospitalizations for RSV among older adults. Symptoms for the flu usually include a very high fever that can lead to body aches, coughing and respiratory illnesses. Haupt said COVID can mimic those symptoms, so testing is crucial. Antiviral treatments are also available for both COVID and the flu.
RSV, or the respiratory syncytial virus, mainly involves coughing and sore throats that can be linked to bronchitis in young children. The RSV vaccine is now available for people who are 50 and older. Schauer added that infants and people 50 and older can also get vaccinated for pneumococcal pneumonia, which is often a common complication of the flu.
Health officials added it’s safe to get all these vaccines at the same time.
The state expects to see a significant increase in cases of the flu and COVID going into late November and December.
Wisconsin health officials urge people to get vaccinated for respiratory illnesses was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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