Health Care — Child vaccine opt-outs at record level

Presented by PhRMA — More parents are opting their children out of school-required vaccinations

View Online Health Care Health Care PRESENTED BY  The Big Story  CDC reports low child vaccination rates so far  Newly released data on the latest COVID-19 vaccination campaign paints a bleak picture in terms of children getting immunized against the virus ahead of this year's respiratory virus season.  © AP A vaccination trends report put out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week estimated only about 4 percent of children have received the updated COVID-19 vaccines in the two months that they've been available.    In comparison, about 10 percent of adults have gotten the shot so far. A little more than 1 in 5 seniors have gotten immunized.     The adult numbers have increased slowly in recent weeks but are being outpaced by the flu vaccine. CDC found about 28 percent of adults and children have received a flu shot this year.    "Vaccine intentions vary by vaccine and age group with more adults and parents reporting they definitely or probably will not get the updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine compared to other vaccines," the CDC noted.    The numbers are not exact and are based on surveys, rather than vaccine records or administrations. Once the COVID-19 public health emergency ended in May, the CDC could no longer track national vaccination rates.    Additional federal data released this week found that the percentage of parents opting their children out of school-required vaccinations has reached the highest level it's ever been — 3 percent.    While the exemption rate is relatively low on average, some states have significantly higher rates of exemptions, with Idaho reporting the highest percentage at 12 percent. These required MMR vaccines — mumps, measles and rubella — are crucial for reducing the risk of an outbreak. Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. 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Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) filed a judicial ethics complaint Friday against the New York judge overseeing former President Trump’s civil fraud … Read more 'Aliens,' or a foreign power? Pentagon UFO chief says someone is in our backyard The mere suggestion by a top government official that "aliens" could explain some UFO activity is the latest example of the government's striking shift … Read more   You're all caught up. See you Monday!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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