After more than two years of waiting, some of Wisconsin’s youngest residents received their first COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday at Fitchburg Family Pharmacy.
The feeling at the pharmacy was one of relief, as cars full of parents and their children waited for their shots.
Ted and Kelsey Lenoch of Madison were at the pharmacy with their 15-month-old son, Remy. Ted said they were “extremely excited” to be getting Remy the vaccine and that it had been a “long wait.”
The couple are first-time parents, and they said they’ve mostly stayed home, keeping Remy out of public places to protect him from the virus.
But Wednesday they were ready to celebrate.
“We’ve got an ice cream for each of our vaccinations, so we’ll go out for ice cream tonight,” Ted said.
Four-year-old Lily of Madison smiles after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at Fitchburg Family Pharmacy in Fitchburg, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Mary Ann Feutz holds her daughter, Zoe Klabunde, as she gets a high-five after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at Fitchburg Family Pharmacy in Fitchburg, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Mary Ann Feutz and her 4-and-a-half-year-old daughter Zoe Klabunde are also looking forward to making plans now that Zoe will be vaccinated. She also received her first dose Wednesday in Fitchburg.
“There’s a lot of stuff we haven’t done, so we’re really excited to be able to do more things as a family now,” Feutz said. “We have our first trip scheduled this summer. We’re going to fly somewhere, so we’re really excited about that.”
“I haven’t flyed anywhere since I was a baby,” Zoe added.
Pharmacy student Joe Crahan gives a COVID-19 vaccine to a newly eligible child Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at Fitchburg Family Pharmacy in Fitchburg, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 were approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services “strongly recommend(s)” children 6 months and older get vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to help protect them from severe complications of COVID-19 and help reduce the risk of spreading the disease to others.
For those looking for a vaccine, DHS Secretary Karen Timberlake suggested visiting vaccine.gov, reaching out to a trusted health care provider or dialing 211 to book an appointment.
About 295,000 Wisconsin children under 5 are eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to DHS.
Pharmacy student Joe Crahan draws up a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine suitable for children under the age of 5 Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at Fitchburg Family Pharmacy in Fitchburg, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Editor’s note: WPR’s Jenny Peek contributed reporting to this story.
