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Childhood immunization during the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas

Tasmiah Nuzhath1, Kobi V Ajayi2, Qiping Fan3

  • 1Texas A&M School of Public Health, College Station, TX, USA; Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.

Vaccine
|May 22, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Texas COVID-19 policies led to significant childhood immunization declines in 2020, particularly for infants and toddlers. Rural areas saw greater drops, raising concerns about vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Immunization Practices

Background:

  • COVID-19 pandemic prompted social distancing guidelines in Texas to prevent hospital surges.
  • These public health measures had unintended consequences on routine childhood immunizations.
  • Texas has also seen rising vaccine exemptions due to anti-vaccine sentiments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the impact of COVID-19 social distancing on childhood immunization rates in Texas.
  • To identify age groups and geographic areas most affected by immunization declines.
  • To assess the potential risks of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of state-wide immunization register data for Texas.
  • Comparison of immunization rates between 2019 and 2020.
  • Stratification of data by age group (infants, toddlers) and county type (urban vs. rural).

Main Results:

  • A 47% relative decline in immunization rates for 5-month-olds and 58% for 16-month-olds in 2020 compared to 2019.
  • A smaller decline (5%) for 24-month-olds; no decline for Hepatitis B vaccine at birth.
  • Immunization declines were more pronounced in rural Texas counties than in urban areas.

Conclusions:

  • COVID-19 social distancing measures significantly reduced childhood immunizations in Texas.
  • The combination of reduced vaccination and increased exemptions heightens the risk of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
  • Urgent interventions are needed to restore childhood immunization coverage and prevent disease outbreaks.

Keywords:
COVID-19Childhood immunizationImmunization programsSARS-CoV-2 pandemicTexasVaccine-preventable diseases

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