CDC: Childhood vaccinations dropped after the start of the pandemic

Childhood immunization rates for kindergarteners declined slightly during the 2020-2021 school year, prompting fears the coronavirus pandemic hampered a critical disease-fighting tool even as children largely resume in-person learning.

Kindergartners had a 93.9% vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella, 93.6% for diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis, and 93.6% for varicella, according to a CNN breakdown of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Compared with the 2019-20 school year, vaccination coverage decreased by approximately one percentage point for all vaccines,” CDC scientists said.

Scientists said it might not sound like a huge change, but it equates to at least 35,000 more children entering kindergarten in the U.S. without proof of state-required vaccinations against common diseases.

The “findings support previous data showing a concerning decline in childhood immunizations that began in March 2020,” said Dr. Shannon Stokley, deputy director of the CDC’s Immunization Services Division. “We are concerned that missed routine vaccinations could leave children vulnerable to preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough, which are extremely contagious and can be very serious, especially for babies and young children.”

The exemption rate of 2.5% remained similar to the prior year.

Study authors said the pandemic was likely a factor in the drop in uptake because parents dropped appointments during social isolation.

There might also have been lapses in data collection.

More broadly, immunization managers are worried that hesitancy around the COVID-19 vaccines will trickle down to longstanding immunizations as state lawmakers try to loosen requirements, though there hasn’t been evidence of widespread outbreaks of these diseases.

For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.