APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 can make family gatherings safer over the holidays, a group of Fox Valley health officials said Wednesday.
The health departments from Outagamie and Winnebago and Calumet counties, as well as the cities of Appleton and Menasha, renewed their calls for vaccinations. In a joint statement, they said:
While no vaccine is 100% effective at preventing disease transmission, the currently available COVID-19 vaccines have been extremely successful at what they were designed to do, as demonstrated by Wisconsin-level data. Unvaccinated individuals are five times more likely to develop a case of COVID-19, nine times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-related reasons, and 19 times more likely to die as a result of COVID-19 than their fully vaccinated peers.
The health officials also said that the more people who are vaccinated, the less pressure there will be on local hospitals and health care systems. As of Tuesday, Fox Valley hospitals reported treating 81 COVID-19 patients, 13 of which were in intensive care. None of the 104 ICU beds in the region were listed as immediately available.
To be fully vaccinated before family gatherings, deadlines for receiving a first dose are coming up quickly. Deadlines to begin receiving some vaccine formulas have already passed.
Thanksgiving (Nov. 25)
- Oct. 13: Moderna
- Oct. 20: Pfizer
- Nov. 10: Johnson & Johnson
Hanukkah (starts Nov. 28)
- Oct. 16: Moderna
- Oct. 23: Pfizer
- Nov. 13: Johnson & Johnson
Christmas (Dec. 25)
- Nov. 12: Moderna
- Nov. 19: Pfizer
- Dec. 10: Johnson & Johnson
To find a vaccine provider, visit vaccines.gov or one of the local clinics:
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