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Parents opt out of regular vaccinations amid COVID-19 pandemic

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Published  August 10, 2020 6:39pm CDT
Coronavirus
FOX 26 Houston

Parents opt out of regular vaccinations amid COVID-19 pandemic

As parents try to stay safe in the pandemic some may be inadvertently putting their kids at risk.

HOUSTONd - As parents try to stay safe in the pandemic some may be inadvertently putting their kids at risk.

How? Many kids aren't being vaccinated.

The fear of catching COVID-19 is keeping a lot of people away from hospitals and doctor's offices and that's why kids across the country have fallen way behind on getting vaccinated.

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"The last thing we want is new outbreaks of preventable diseases together with COVID,” says Memorial Hermann Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Luis Ostrosky who says that is now a serious concern since a large percentage of parents haven't had their kids vaccinated since a national emergency was declared in March 2020.

"Since COVID-19 started we have seen a steady decline in people going to get their regular vaccines out of fear of going to doctor's offices primarily. So we're starting to see a gap in vaccinations for this generation of kids,” Dr. Ostrosky explains.

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According to state health officials that could be especially dangerous for kids two and under, who are said to be most vulnerable but all kids are considered at risk if they're not vaccinated against mumps, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, and measles.

“It's not just a rash. It's a very deadly disease that can progress into a multi-system infection with meningitis, with pneumonia," Dr. Ostrosky said.

Dr. Ostrosky says other countries are already starting to see a rise in childhood preventable diseases. He fears it could happen here in the U.S. as well.

"We all have COVID in our minds right now but every one of these childhood preventable diseases can be as serious as COVID," Dr. Ostrosky said.

Dr. Ostrosky says hospitals and doctor's offices are disinfecting, social distancing, and taking extra precautions to keep everyone safe from COVID-19. So he says the pandemic shouldn't keep you from getting your kids immunized.