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The onset of COVID-19 curtailed innumerable aspects of normal life. To quantitate the impact of COVID-19–related restrictions on routine childhood immunization, CDC investigators compared vaccination rates in children and adolescents during the height of the pandemic (March–September 2020) with rates during comparable periods in 2018 and 2019 in 10 U.S. health jurisdictions with high-performing immunization systems.
From March to May of 2020, vaccination rates fell in all 10 jurisdictions compared with the same months during the previous 2 years. Despite rallying to approach pre-pandemic levels by September 2020, they still fell short of the number needed to make up for the decrease. These declines corresponded with stay-at-home mandates in many locales and rebounded coincident with the lifting of these mandates. Waning vaccination rates notably included diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) for children aged 0 to 6 years; measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) in children aged 1 to 8 years; and human papilloma virus (HPV) in children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 years. The falloff was greatest among older ages in each group, reaching 60% to 70%.
Patel Murthy B et al. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on administration of selected routine childhood and adolescent vaccinations— 10 U.S. jurisdictions, March–September 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021 Jun 11; 70:840. (https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7023a2)
Comment
As the authors emphasize, the inability to catch up from these shortfalls in routine vaccination may have dire consequences for school reopenings, possibly necessitating repeated closures. Every effort should be made to rectify this deficiency through vaccination campaigns and notification of individual families.