RI Parents Urged To Update Children's Immunizations

PROVIDENCE, RI — Delayed immunizations and bypassed general wellness checkups for children have reached a "potential public health crisis" level in the state.

Gov. Gina Raimondo in her Friday news conference urged parents of those children due for doctor's checkups and shots to act quickly to make appointments for them, and tried to allay fears that traveling to, and being in, medical offices puts parents and their children at substantially greater risk of contracting the coronavirus.

"We're behind," Raimondo said. "It's a problem. It's going to manifest itself in big problems in the winter if we don't get these kids checked and immunized."

She said children under 2 years old, age 4, age 11 or age 16 should be vaccinated if they missed an appointment due to the coronavirus.

"I need you to call your doctor today, or next week, and get an appointment with your pediatrician or your primary care provider," she said. "We intend to open school Aug. 31. We want these kids back in school in September. That means we need them all immunized and checked."

She said the pediatricians on a state advisory board on children's health are warning, especially for 4 year olds who are going to start pre-kindergarten in the fall, that "we absolutely must make sure every single one of them has their measles, mumps, rubella shots."

She said one report she received said that in April and May there was a 52 percent reduction in immunization rates for children ages 2 through 7 in the state.

"We cannot accept this," she said. "We, as a community, have to get on this. We don't have a lot of time to fix it. ... If we don't, we're going to have real issues when school opens, when flu season starts and the winter comes."

She said she is not minimizing coronavirus fears people have about bringing their children to certain public places, but tried to assure that immunizations and wellness checks are too important to put off until there is a therapy for the virus.

"I have to tell you at this point the bigger risk (than coronavirus) is you not taking your children to get immunized," she said. "I am asking you to get smart, take precautions, wear a mask yourself, call us if you need help, call a doctor — your concerns are real — but I am telling you the much bigger concern for your children, and for the whole state, is if you don't get these children immunized."

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