New legislation introduced in both chambers of Congress last week — the Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act — proposes support for vaccination efforts and to reverse drops in vaccination rates through a mix of funding for local initiatives and access to primary care services.
The effort is being led by U.S. Reps. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Kim Schrier (D-WA), Kathy Castor (D-FL) and Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH), along with U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN). Together, they are pushing for efforts to build vaccine confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine, increase immunization rates for other vaccines and guarantee access to primary care services. Under the bill, immunization providers and local organizations would also be allowed to helm community-specific initiatives to reach underserved populations.
“I’m leading the Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act to deliver urgently needed resources to public health departments and their local partners to meet the demand for COVID-19 vaccinations and make sure children and adults don’t fall behind on other life-saving vaccines during this pandemic,” Underwood said. “By investing in community-specific initiatives to increase immunization rates, we can prevent more avoidable disease and save lives.”
Specifically, the bill would offer $560 million to state and local public health departments to promote recommended vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, through a mix of efforts like child outreach programs, vaccination initiative support and creating partnerships with local organizations.
“As a pediatrician and a Congresswoman, I am especially concerned about the decrease in routine immunizations children have received during the pandemic,” Schrier said. “Part of this hesitation is due to misinformation and part of it is due to logistics of getting children immunized during a pandemic. We know that immunizations work and that they protect us and our community as a whole.”
The effort has also gained support from numerous health and health care organizations, such as the Adult Vaccine Access Coalition, American Academy of Pediatrics, Federation of American Hospitals and Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs.