Greenwich Hospital Vaccinated Over 100 Children Last Weekend

GREENWICH, CT — The Town of Greenwich and Greenwich Hospital held their biweekly COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday, and indicated some positive news on the vaccination front.

Last weekend, Greenwich Hospital vaccinated 110 pediatric patients, as all appointments were booked.

"We're happy with that," said Greenwich Hospital President Diane Kelly. "We've had to open up additional appointments based on the very positive feedback and the demand that people are wanting to get their children vaccinated."

Clinic hours were expanded to 8 p.m. to help with the demand.

"We're hoping our clinic supports our local pediatric practices. We've heard they're grateful we are doing that," Kelly said.

Parents can use the Yale New Haven Health website to find a vaccination appointment for their children.

On the other end of the spectrum, all Greenwich residents age 65 and over — a population of 10,466 — have received at least one vaccine dose.

The news comes as case numbers and hospitalizations continue to somewhat level off. Since last week, there have been 23 new COVID-19 cases reported, bringing the total number of positive cases in Greenwich since the pandemic began to 5,902.

There are currently 28 active cases in town, an increase of five over last week. The death rate has remained at 96.

At Greenwich Hospital, there were four COVID-19 patients being treated as of Wednesday afternoon, with one patient in the Intensive Care Unit on a ventilator.

Across the Yale New Haven Health System's five hospitals, there were 69 COVID-19 patients being treated as of Wednesday.

"That's in keeping with where we've been, so things are kind of leveling off at this rate," said Greenwich Hospital President Diane Kelly.

Adult booster shots have been phased out by Greenwich Hospital. Those looking for boosters can consult with local pharmacies. There will be a clinic for the Moderna booster that will be offered by the Greenwich Health Department on Nov. 17.

This week, the New York Times reported that Pfizer and BioNTech asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize and expand COVID-19 boosters to all adults. Kelly said on Wednesday that increased access is important, especially as colder weather approaches.

"Any time we have our partners expanding the availability of the booster is important, especially as people are going to be coming closer together," she said. "We know this is a higher-risk time for us, so I think the more access people can have to boosters is extremely important."

Fully vaccinated percentages by age group in Greenwich are as follows:

• 12-17: 87.17 percent
• 18-24: 81.1 percent
• 25-44: 66.65 percent
• 45-64: 81.42 percent
• 65 over: 91 percent, 100 percent has initiated vaccination

Kelly called the 25-44 age group rate "concerning", as it has remained unchanged for several weeks.

"The majority and close to all of the patients requiring hospitalization at this point are non-vaccinated," she said. "That data speaks for itself."