The news today is filled with talk about the Covid 19 Vaccination roll out. While there have been isolated incidences of anti-vaxxers interrupting vaccine administration, the overall consensus is that people want to be vaccinated and soon, especially those in high-risk groups.

While this is good for awareness about the benefits of vaccination in general, there are disturbing trends in the routine vaccination of children. The Covid 19 Pandemic in 2020 brought a significant drop in vaccine orders and administration.

There are estimates that around 9 million children may have missed routine vaccination by the end of 2020. That amounts to 26% fewer doses given than the previous year. Of particular concern is the risk of a measles outbreak due to how highly contagious it is. A potential measles outbreak may have been mitigated so far during the pandemic because of social distancing. That may change as restrictions loosen.

Additionally, the statistics on how many teens complete the recommended vaccines are startling. Only about one-third of teens complete the HPV series, Men ACWY and Tdap. Scheduling that 16 year old visit can greatly increase the chances that a teen will be fully vaccinated.