VANCOUVER, Wash. — Childhood immunizations in Washington were down across the board in 2020.
“It really is that set of recommended childhood immunizations that we're seeing an across the board drop,” said the Washington Department of Health acting assistant secretary Michele Roberts
Data released by the department shows vaccination rates in 2020 dropped modestly with younger ages. The big drop-off was in 11 and 12-year-olds.
For instance, there was an 11% decrease in the Tdap vaccine, which covers tetanus, Diptheria and pertussis; down from about 60% to 49%. Data also showed an 8% drop in meningococcal vaccinations, from roughly 50 to 42%.
“So we're really concerned in seeing this decrease in childhood vaccination rates, knowing that means we're leaving our youngest citizens vulnerable to some of the diseases we know vaccines prevent against,” said Roberts.
KGW spoke with mom Rose Horton at Klineline Park in Clark County on Monday who was concerned about the drop but also noted that the coronavirus pandemic made it more difficult for families to get things like routine immunizations done.
“Luckily my children didn't need to get vaccine boosters during this time," said Horton. "But I can see where it's kind of questionable for some people to make an appointment to go in for these things, but it's really important to keep our vaccine rates up to protect everyone."
Was it fear about catching COVID that led to a drop in childhood vaccinations? Roberts says the answer is yes, “And a piece of that was just confusion around, 'Should I be leaving my house,' how did routine preventative medical care fit with the sort of stay at home orders that were happening.”
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But stay-at-home orders are no longer happening and public health and private health care providers have learned a lot and improved safety protocols in offices since the beginning of the pandemic.
Roberts said parents should feel safe and motivated to get their children in for any overdue vaccinations.
“It's really important to be getting kids in for their routine preventative care, for those well-child visits where a lot of the childhood immunizations happen.”
Washington is not alone in decreasing vaccination rates in 2020. Roberts said it happened across the country. She also said vaccinations are trending back up since late last year, but we've got a way to go to catch up.
Getting kids vaccinated before the school year begins is highly recommended.