Vaccination counts up slightly in Washington County

WASHINGTON — Washington County provided more immunization services in Quarter 4 than at the same time last year, according to the latest report from Public Health Director Emily Tokheim.

She said 388 vaccines were given to 162 individuals during the season, typically a busy time of year for immunization programs thanks to a back-to-school rush. Numbers had fallen in recent years amid skepticism and misinformation related to the pandemic.

“We saw a little bit of a dip after COVID vaccine hesitancy, people just not going to their doctors quite as frequently,” Tokheim said at a Board of Health meeting on Thursday. “We saw an increase this last fiscal year, so that was encouraging.”

The numbers work out to a 5% increase in immunizations for adolescents and an 8% increase for children from the start to end of Fiscal Year 2023, according to Tokheim.

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