Key TakeawaysRoutine vaccination rates for children and teens declined significantly from pre-pandemic levels between March and September of 2020, according to the CDC.It’s important that as many kids as possible get vaccinated against preventable diseases like measles, HPV, and diphtheria in order to maintain herd immunity.The CDC is urging parents and healthcare providers to get kids caught up on all routine vaccinations, especially as capacity limitations, online learning, and other COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Key Takeaways

Routine vaccination rates for children and teens declined significantly from pre-pandemic levels between March and September of 2020, according to the CDC.It’s important that as many kids as possible get vaccinated against preventable diseases like measles, HPV, and diphtheria in order to maintain herd immunity.The CDC is urging parents and healthcare providers to get kids caught up on all routine vaccinations, especially as capacity limitations, online learning, and other COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

The rates of routine vaccination among children and teens dropped significantly in 2020, but even after stay-at-home orders were lifted, vaccination rates didn’t catch up to pre-pandemic levels, according to a new CDC report released June 11.

“As a pediatrician I’m very concerned about how many children have missed other important vaccines during the pandemic, including for diseases like measles and whooping cough which can be deadly,“Lisa Costello, MD, a pediatric hospitalist at West Virginia University Medicine Children’s Hospital, tells Verywell.

Falling Vaccination Rates

Looking at 10 different districts—Minnesota, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, New York City, North Dakota, Michigan, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Washington state—the CDC report took stock of vaccination rates across four different vaccines and age ranges.

Vaccination Rates in Younger Children

The MMR Vaccine Might Offer Some Protection Against Severe COVID-19

Vaccination Rates in Older Children

From June to September, rates never fully recovered—the median decrease was 12% for the preteens and 28% for the teens.

Vaccine Schedules: Standard vs. Alternative

Possible Causes and Explanations

The June 11 CDC report says a number of possible factors influenced low vaccination rates in 2020. Stay-at-home orders and fear of contracting COVID-19 in a healthcare facility likely kept many families away.

The CDC also suggests that the rushed transition to online learning played a role. The organization says that some schools may have been more lax when it came to enforcing vaccination requirements while children were taking classes from home.

CDC: When Students Are Masked, 3 Feet Apart Is Safe in Classrooms

Some older kids and teens may not be going to the pediatrician as often as they should, Costello says, which also impacts who gets vaccinated and who doesn’t.

“We know that earlier in life, you have more trips to your pediatrician where [it] involves checking your growth and your development, and we also do the important job of providing immunizations to protect against those diseases that we’re able to protect against,” Costello says. “As we get older we don’t maybe as frequently go to the pediatrician or to the doctor as much as we should.”

“There’s a continuum of vaccine confidence, whether that’s for the COVID-19 vaccine or for other vaccines,” Costello says. “And so I think that we as healthcare professionals need to continue to start from a place of listening and empathy, and make sure that our patients are able to ask the questions that they may have.”

Herd Immunity Is Not Just a COVID-19 Goal

With the exception oftetanus, which is spread through direct contact with bacteria in our local environments, all of the other vaccine-preventable diseases named in the June 11 CDC report are highly infectious. That’s why the report’s authors are so concerned with keeping pediatric vaccination rates as close to 100% as possible.

Herd immunity has become a COVID-19 buzzword in the past few months, but it’s an important measure to keep up for any and all communicable diseases. The higher the number of children vaccinated against infectious diseases like HPV, diphtheria, measles, mumps, and more, the less likely infection is to spread.

What Is Herd Immunity?Herd immunityhappens when a large number of people in a community develop immunity—the body’s own protection against a contagious disease. Their immunity protects more vulnerable people who may be at high risk for serious complications from that disease.People can develop immunity naturally after exposure to a viral infection or through vaccination.

What Is Herd Immunity?

Herd immunityhappens when a large number of people in a community develop immunity—the body’s own protection against a contagious disease. Their immunity protects more vulnerable people who may be at high risk for serious complications from that disease.People can develop immunity naturally after exposure to a viral infection or through vaccination.

Herd immunityhappens when a large number of people in a community develop immunity—the body’s own protection against a contagious disease. Their immunity protects more vulnerable people who may be at high risk for serious complications from that disease.

People can develop immunity naturally after exposure to a viral infection or through vaccination.

For a disease likemeasles, herd immunity is only achieved when at least 93% to 95% of the population is vaccinated, according to the CDC report. In 2019, there was an outbreak of measles in some communities that had larger populations of unvaccinated people. The 1,282 reported cases were the highest number since 1992.So far in 2021, only two cases of measles have been reported thus far, a win for public health.

However, if vaccination rates don’t recover as people return to public life, cases could increase. A 2017 report warns that even a 5% decrease in MMR vaccinations among children 2–11 years old could cause a three-fold spike in measles cases.

“We’ve had outbreaks of these diseases recently, and so it’s not far-fetched to believe that we could see another one, especially if we don’t get children and teens caught up quickly on these vaccines,” Costello says.

The CDC report stresses that without herd immunity for many of these vaccine-preventable diseases, infections could hinder school reopening efforts this fall. Even worse, they could strain an already overwhelmed healthcare system and put the entire community at risk.

Making Pediatric Vaccines a Priority

Luckily, getting children vaccinated against these diseases is simple. Pediatricians are responsible for helping get kids and teens vaccinated, and the CDC strongly suggests that healthcare providers, parents, schools, and local governments work together to make sure that kids and teens are staying up to date with all routine vaccinations.

To start, Costello says it’s as easy as parents giving their healthcare providers a call to see if their children are overdue on any immunizations.

“It’s going to be incredibly important to do the education, make sure we’re doing the outreach to get children and teens updated on their vaccinations so that we don’t have outbreaks of these preventable diseases that we are able to prevent through vaccination,” Costello says.

The CDC report also recommends that pediatricians administer the COVID-19 vaccine alongside the routine vaccinations kids might be behind on, as it becomes available. Currently, the COVID-19 vaccine is available for all children and teens over the age of 12, thoughclinical trials are underwayfor the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for kids as young as 6 months.

Pfizer Vaccine Cleared For Kids Ages 12-15

Usually, getting children vaccinated is a low- or no-cost endeavor for parents and caregivers. The Department of Health and Human Services provides information for vaccine cost based on insurance-status, state, and more.

What This Means For YouWhen children are behind on routine vaccinations, it can cause otherwise-preventable diseases to spread. It’s always a good idea to check with a pediatrician and make sure that your child is caught up on all recommended vaccinations for their age, especially if the COVID-19 pandemic has kept your family away from the doctor’s office.

What This Means For You

When children are behind on routine vaccinations, it can cause otherwise-preventable diseases to spread. It’s always a good idea to check with a pediatrician and make sure that your child is caught up on all recommended vaccinations for their age, especially if the COVID-19 pandemic has kept your family away from the doctor’s office.

8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Patel Murthy B, Zell E, Kirtland K, et al.Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on administration of selected routine childhood and adolescent vaccinations — 10 U.S. jurisdictions, March–September 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 70(23):840-845. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7023a2Santoli JM, Lindley MC, DeSilva MB, et al.Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine pediatric vaccine ordering and administration — United States, 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 69(19):591-593. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6919e2Kempe A, Saville AW, Albertin C, et al.Parental hesitancy about routine childhood and influenza vaccinations: a national survey.Pediatrics. 146(1):e20193852. doi:10.1542/peds.2019-3852World Health Organization.Ten threats to global health in 2019.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Measles cases and outbreaks.Lo N, Hotez P.Public health and economic consequences of vaccine hesitancy for measles in the United States.JAMA Pediatr.171(9):887. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.1695Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Help kids’ safe return to school - get caught up on recommended vaccines.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Get vaccinated: how to pay.

8 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Patel Murthy B, Zell E, Kirtland K, et al.Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on administration of selected routine childhood and adolescent vaccinations — 10 U.S. jurisdictions, March–September 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 70(23):840-845. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7023a2Santoli JM, Lindley MC, DeSilva MB, et al.Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine pediatric vaccine ordering and administration — United States, 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 69(19):591-593. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6919e2Kempe A, Saville AW, Albertin C, et al.Parental hesitancy about routine childhood and influenza vaccinations: a national survey.Pediatrics. 146(1):e20193852. doi:10.1542/peds.2019-3852World Health Organization.Ten threats to global health in 2019.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Measles cases and outbreaks.Lo N, Hotez P.Public health and economic consequences of vaccine hesitancy for measles in the United States.JAMA Pediatr.171(9):887. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.1695Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Help kids’ safe return to school - get caught up on recommended vaccines.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Get vaccinated: how to pay.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Patel Murthy B, Zell E, Kirtland K, et al.Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on administration of selected routine childhood and adolescent vaccinations — 10 U.S. jurisdictions, March–September 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 70(23):840-845. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7023a2Santoli JM, Lindley MC, DeSilva MB, et al.Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine pediatric vaccine ordering and administration — United States, 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 69(19):591-593. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6919e2Kempe A, Saville AW, Albertin C, et al.Parental hesitancy about routine childhood and influenza vaccinations: a national survey.Pediatrics. 146(1):e20193852. doi:10.1542/peds.2019-3852World Health Organization.Ten threats to global health in 2019.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Measles cases and outbreaks.Lo N, Hotez P.Public health and economic consequences of vaccine hesitancy for measles in the United States.JAMA Pediatr.171(9):887. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.1695Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Help kids’ safe return to school - get caught up on recommended vaccines.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Get vaccinated: how to pay.

Patel Murthy B, Zell E, Kirtland K, et al.Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on administration of selected routine childhood and adolescent vaccinations — 10 U.S. jurisdictions, March–September 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 70(23):840-845. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7023a2

Santoli JM, Lindley MC, DeSilva MB, et al.Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine pediatric vaccine ordering and administration — United States, 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 69(19):591-593. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6919e2

Kempe A, Saville AW, Albertin C, et al.Parental hesitancy about routine childhood and influenza vaccinations: a national survey.Pediatrics. 146(1):e20193852. doi:10.1542/peds.2019-3852

World Health Organization.Ten threats to global health in 2019.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Measles cases and outbreaks.

Lo N, Hotez P.Public health and economic consequences of vaccine hesitancy for measles in the United States.JAMA Pediatr.171(9):887. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.1695

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Help kids’ safe return to school - get caught up on recommended vaccines.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Get vaccinated: how to pay.

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