Health department reports 40% decrease in child vaccinations
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) Some admit the doctor's office is the last place they want to be right now. "It's out of fear of coming in contact with the virus. I'm trying to stay away from doctors until this all clears out," said Yaii Rodriguez in Salinas.
Officials with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said the pandemic has had a major impact on patients and how they are seeking medical services. Most recently, officials said, it has affected children due for vaccines.
"For a while a lot of clinics dropped the amount of patients they were seeing. I'm sure there were patients who missed out on vaccines because of those visits," said Caroline Kennedy, Monterey County Health Department Medical Director.
CDPH reported a 40% drop in child vaccinations in April 2020, compared to April 2019. Health officials said they are worried about the consequences.
"I think if you had a significant group of people not vaccinating their newborns, we could be see a lot of terrible diseases that we haven't seen in 20 years," said Kennedy.
Monterey County providers continue to serve children under 18 months through the pandemic.
Many providers across the Central Coast are beginning to reopen for non-emergency and in-person services.
"I'm sure the trend will go back up. I think as soon as the Shelter in Place is loosened, and people can go back to their doctors appointments, that pediatricians will be reaching out," said Santa Cruz County Immunization Coordinator, Michelle Meszaros.
