The Louisiana Department of Health is reminding the public to catch up on the routine vaccinations that may have went by the wayside due to the shelter in place order and closure of many medical offices. State immunization director Dr. Frank Welch says now those facilities are opened again and it’s time to get back on track.
“Routine childhood vaccinations, ordinary vaccinations that we all get as teenagers and young adults, young children, even elderly people were told to stay home and so they did not get their vaccines,” said Welch.
State and federal data show a sharp drop in vaccine orders from January through April. Welch says skipping vaccines can have disastrous consequences in the future.
“The worst thing that could possibly happen is, is if we went really far back on the vaccinations and then we had some other problem like measles or mumps or something like that,” said Welch.
For those that may be uneasy about entering a doctor’s office with the ongoing global pandemic, Welch says most facilities have changed up the experience with spread mitigation efforts.
“They will do frequent environmental cleanings, your healthcare providers will be wearing a mask so they are going to do everything they can to minimize the spread of COVID-19 while making sure that you are up to date on your vaccines and preventative healthcare,” said Welch.
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