Lawmakers seek assurances on continued immunization efforts

A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) personnel, seeking continued immunization efforts.

Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Tina Smith (D-MN) said they are imploring the Trump Administration, in conjunction with state and local governments, ensure Americans continue receiving necessary immunizations to prevent additional illness and outbreaks.

The lawmakers noted low immunization rates before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. They continued, stating that seasonal flu vaccinations could prevent up to 810,000 hospitalizations and 61,000 deaths annually. At the same time, low adult immunization rates for vaccine-preventable diseases cost the economy about $9 billion each year.

“Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, adherence to the yearly influenza vaccination varies across state, age group, and demographic information,” the legislators wrote. “In 2017, only 37 percent of adults adhered to the recommendations, a 6-percentage point drop from 2016. Should our nation’s influenza immunization rates remain low as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we could see an unprecedented strain on our healthcare resources and an inconceivable death toll. A high influenza disease rate will make it difficult to distinguish between the two viruses, resulting in diagnostic uncertainty.”

The lawmakers maintain the scenario could result in mistreatment, coinfection, and confusion about how to respond to symptoms.

“Vaccines are only effective in preventing outbreaks if enough people are immunized, achieving herd immunity,” the lawmakers concluded. “However, a recent Gallup poll found that if the federal government offered free, FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines today, 35 percent of Americans would not agree to be vaccinated. Despite communities of color being disproportionately affected by COVID-19, this rate was even higher for non-white Americans, at 41 percent. In rural areas, the rate was 44 percent.”