Washington public health authorities say Covid is at least partially responsible for a lull in childhood immunizations this year. They’re working to encourage parents to make sure their children are up-to-date on their shots.
When the pandemic struck, Covid became the health care priority. Well child checkups and vaccinations were pushed off of doctors’ schedules and children weren’t getting immunized as they normally would.
“The data from Washington in March and April was about a 30-40% drop, depending on what month you were looking at, in routine childhood immunizations, which is a very significant drop," saidDr. Gretchen LaSalle, a family medicine doctor at MultiCare in Spokane.
Now that the coronavirus situation has stabilized, she and other primary care providers are urging families to bring their children back in.
“We’re worried, in the medical community, as we head into flu and cold season and we’re dealing with Covid already and we’re already sort of over-taxed, what would happen if we even have a normal flu year, let alone a bad flu year, and if our kids get even more behind on their routine stuff, measles, mumps, pertussis for whooping cough, and we have outbreaks of those additionally, it really could be a disaster," she said.
Because of those worries, the Washington chapter of the American Association of Pediatrics has produced a radio public service announcement to make an appeal to the public. “While we may not have a vaccine for Covid-19 yet, we do have vaccines to protect children from many other serious diseases. Delaying or missing these vaccines could put your child, your family and your community at risk."
“I think, to some degree, parents are a little nervous about bringing their kids to the clinic and not wanting to expose them or themselves to anything potentially infectious," LaSalle said.
To address that concern, some health care providers have designated clinics for Covid patients and others for different health situations.
“If you’re just going for a well-check visit, you would go to one clinic, even if it wasn’t the one you usually went to. And then if your child is sick and needs to be seen and assessed, then you would go to a specific clinic for that," said Kayla Myers from the Spokane Regional Health District's immunization program.
Even then, she says, clinics are implementing basic Covid-related physical distancing measures.
“You’re six feet apart. Sometimes they’re making you wait in your vehicle and call you in for your appointment. Sometimes they’re meeting you out in the vehicle and vaccinating your kid in the vehicle," she said.
Myers says the health district has begun a fall schedule of free mobile vaccination clinics, for both children and adults. The next one is Tuesday from 3:30-to-6 pm at Rogers High School. You’re encouraged to register with the health district in advance for faster service.
Gretchen LaSalle says MultiCare is also preparing a series of immunization opportunities.
“We need to prevent everything we can prevent at this point, both for individual and community health and to be able to handle it in the medical system," she said.