Two studies published last year in Clinical Pediatrics described how COVID-19 lockdowns led to a lack of routine vaccinations for infants and young children early in the pandemic.
The AAP expressed concern about this issue early on, and researchers found that vaccinations “decreased dramatically” in the first 8 months of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.
In the first new study, clinicians at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia described the early lockdown’s effects on their practices in a low-income community in North Philadelphia and a network of seven affiliated pediatric community practices in Northeast Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs.
“After the city’s stay-at-home order was issued on March 17, 2020, the practices limited in-person well-child visits,” they wrote. “At the academic practice, in-person well visits were limited to infants aged 15 months or younger starting on March 23, expanded to children aged younger than 10 years on April 27, and to children of all ages on May 3. However, the number of clinicians available to conduct well visits did not return to full capacity until June 1.”
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