CDC finds childhood vaccination rates are still lagging

In a new analysis, CDC said there was a large decline in essential childhood vaccinations in the early months of the pandemic last year, but rates did not return to pre-pandemic levels with the lifting of the stay-at-home orders.

CDC’s latest report, which used data from 10 U.S. states and cities, found a decline in routine vaccinations during March to May 2020 compared with the same periods of 2018 and 2019. However, the data show that between June to September 2020, the decline was still evident compared with the 2 previous years.

There was, for example, an almost 9% decrease in MMR vaccinations among children aged 1 to 2 years last summer compared with 2018 and 2019 rates, and there was a 30% decline in Tdap vaccinations for adolescents ages 12 to 17 years of age.