Recent vaccination rates have been labeled by experts as "abysmal" across the board. The amount of Americans who have updated their COVID vaccines continues to plummet year after year. According to the CDC, only 7% of American adults and 2% of children have received the most recent Coronavirus vaccines. The CDC's own survey indicated nearly 40% of adults said they "probably" or "definitely" will not get updated vaccines.
Dr. Susan Hassig, Associate Professor Amerita at Tulane University, says that while she understands keeping up with the vaccine schedule can be dauting, she emphasizes the need to protect the most vulnerable. "Some of the anti-vaccine sentiment that surrounded COVID has had an impact on the other vaccines that have proven to be so beneficial to us as a global community. Things like measles, whooping cough ... these are serious diseases. Measles can kill little kids," Hassig adds. She goes on to emphasize, "There are age limits for many vaccines, particularly childhood vaccines. There are some that can't be given until they're one year old, for example. So, you need the people around them to be current with their vaccinations because your young one may not be able to be."
For those concerned about their own safety or the safety of their loved ones if they've been vaccinated but may be around others who aren't, Dr. Hassig adds that any vaccine protection is better than none at all. "If your child is vaccinated against measles, for example, you might get infected ... possibly ... but, they are not going to have the same disease experience that someone who is not vaccinated would experience."