Washington (AFP)
The number of doses of vaccine ordered in the United States since Donald Trump declared a state of emergency because of the Covid-19 pandemic has dropped by several million, the Centers for Prevention and Control of Drugs reported on Friday. diseases (CDC).
Some 2.5 million fewer doses of routine (excluding flu) vaccines, and 250,000 fewer doses of measles vaccines were ordered between March 13 and April 19, compared with the same period in 2019, shows The report.
"The decline began within a week of declaring a state of national emergency," the study said, which is based on orders for vaccines from a program that funds about half of the country's vaccinations.
"Although social distancing helped slow down the spread of Covid-19, it also led to postponements and a decrease in the number of children receiving the recommended vaccines," the authors told AFP by email.
However, the decrease is moderate for children under 2 years of age, according to other data on the doses actually administered in eight care networks.
This indicates that the instructions for maintaining routine visits and vaccination in this age group have been relatively followed, while for older children, the offices have generally restricted visits to cases of illness and canceled visits to routine.
© 2020 AFP