PORTLAND, Ore. — A new survey of Oregon health care providers shows the number of immunizations in the state has dropped dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oregon Health Authority said.
Dr. Paul Cieslak, OHA medical director for immunizations and communicable diseases, said according to the state registry, child immunizations dropped about 75 percent over the past two months, compared to the same time last year.
Health officials released survey findings on Friday. They show the sharp reduction of routine immunizations for young children was likely caused by two factors: concerns among parents, and changes that health clinics put into place in response to the pandemic.
Read the survey results:
"There’s certainly been a lot of fear about COVID-19, and these survey results show us that this fear dramatically affected our ability to get children vaccinated," Dr. Cieslak said. "It tells us we have a lot of work to do to get Oregon children back on schedule for getting protected from vaccine-preventable diseases."
Dr. Cieslak said Governor Kate Brown's stay-at-home orders do not apply to immunizations.
"The governor's executive orders did say immunizations were an essential service and should continue," he explained. "So the first thing I want to let people know is it is okay to go to your doctor and get immunizations."
The other big concern from a drop in routine immunizations is increased risk of other diseases from people who fall behind.
"We want to do everything we can to make sure these kids are up to date," Dr. Cieslak said. "It's not often that teenagers are home and can come in and get their shots against meningococcal disease and HPV, so this [stay-at-home] time may actually be an opportunity."
The OHA said adults and children who have lost insurance and become eligible for the Oregon Health Plan can get vaccines for free.
State health officials noted the survey results were similar to observations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC researchers saw a "notable decrease in orders" for non-influenza childhood vaccines and measles vaccines since COVID-19 was declared a national emergency on March 13.
Some key findings from the survey include:
- 95% of clinics reported changing their immunization practices.
- 65% of clinics reduced or limited well-child visits, with 5% cancelling all well-child visits.
- 50% of clinics reported cancelling or rescheduling immunizations that were due for older children and adolescents.
- 81% of clinics reported difficulty maintaining staffing.
The clinics were surveyed on April 18 and April 29. They are participants in the federal Vaccines for Children program, which provides vaccines at no cost to children who would likely not receive vaccines because of an inability to pay for them.
