What you need to know to catch up during the COVID-19 pandemic

Many families stopped going to pediatricians this spring after a stay-at-home order was announced and schools across the country were closed. As a result, children are lagging behind important childhood vaccinations.

Vaccination rate Terribly refused Up to 60% reduction in some parts of the country since mid-March.Vaccination rate declines nationwide twenty two% Between Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program recipients under the age of two.

Now the kids are back at Pediatrician like me, Many parents have questions about catching up.

Why is it a problem for my child to be late for vaccination?

Vaccine protects you Child From serious infectious diseases such as brain infections, pneumonia, bloodstream infections, and in the case of HPV and hepatitis B vaccines, some types of cancer.The· Vaccination schedule We use it to maximize the protection of your child throughout your life.

Vaccines not only protect children, but also protect others by reducing the circulation of dangerous bacteria within the community. This is called “herd immunity”.

Herd immunity is especially important to protect people who cannot be vaccinated for a particular vaccine for medical reasons. When enough people are vaccinated, the disease can go away altogether.For example, nearly 95% of people Measles vaccination To stop the virus infection. If too few people are properly vaccinated, the entire community is at risk of outbreaks.

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing nationwide, the last thing we need is another deadly outbreak.

How do you understand what my child needs to catch up?

This depends on the age of your child and the vaccine they have already received. The best way to understand what your child needs is to call your pediatrician’s office and ask. definite”Catch-up schedule“We use it to understand the vaccines that children need and when they can be given.

Many parents are worried that taking many shots at once can be dangerous.However, the amount of material contained in each vaccine Not to mention what children are exposed to when they rub their knees and elbows, they are very small compared to the various bacteria and substances they breathe, eat and drink every day.

Really there There is no such thing The current guidelines have many shots at once, but some shots cannot be given together on the same day.

What if my child feels sick when the pediatrician wants to get the vaccine?

For most kids it is Completely safe Vaccine is given for mild illnesses such as fever. Also, vaccination when the child is ill does not diminish its effectiveness.

It’s understandable that taking many shots at once when your child is feeling sick can be offensive to your child. You can talk to your pediatrician about which shots are most important and ask your child to take the shots first and the rest on another day. At the same time, we want as many people as possible to stay at home to protect people from COVID, so try to take care of all your children with as few visits as possible.

Does my child really need a flu shot?

Effectiveness of Influenza vaccination It varies every year. Although not 100% effective, this vaccine is still recommended as it reduces the risk of dying from the flu if the child becomes ill.

Unfortunately, 188 children died of the flu In the United States last year, many of these children were perfectly healthy before they became ill. Most of the people who died were not vaccinated against the flu.

Other parents are worried that the flu shot itself could make their children sick.

The injected flu vaccine is made from dead flu virus, so you cannot get the flu from the vaccine.But the shot May cause Low-grade fever, malaise, muscle aches, swelling during attacks. These are signs that the body’s immune system is responding to the vaccine. This is exactly what we want. It’s a way of the body to train itself to recognize the flu virus, so when children later come into contact with the virus, their bodies know how to fight it.

Do my children need to be vaccinated when the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available?

It is premature to make recommendations on who should be vaccinated with COVID-19. It is unlikely that a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19 will be widely available by 2021.

COVID is still prevalent in our community, so it is much more important for us all to work to protect our children from other deadly illnesses as much as possible.

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