August is the time when families with school-aged children prepare for the start of another academic year. This usually means shopping for supplies, clothes and shoes for growing girls and boys—and a visit to a health care provider for annual exams, sports physicals and recommended vaccines. August is even National Immunization Awareness Month to coincide with these visits.
Well, insert 2020. Some things are different this year, but vaccines are the same—still recommended and still effective.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, our worlds have been turned upside down. Families are trying to figure out what the school year will look like. The familiar back-to-school activities are getting lost in the shuffle or even delayed—including checkups and vaccines.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), childhood immunization rates have plummeted during the pandemic. As governors issued stay-at-home orders and we socially isolated to keep our families safe, many parents have canceled or postponed vaccinations.
Parents, we can’t delay these vaccines, especially now.
The CDC has recommendations for how vaccines can be safely administered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care providers are demonstrating great creativity and flexibility to safely meet the needs of their patients. For example, some pediatricians are doing parking lot visits for parents who have concerns about bringing their children into the office. Others are designating specific days or hours for well-child visits to make sure their patients remain up to date on vaccines. Continue Reading
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