Statewide Iowa — The number of new reported COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in Iowa is falling, but experts say it’s vital more parents get their children vaccinated against COVID-19, and stay up to date on other routine vaccinations.
Joel Waddell, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, says he’s seen a decrease in routine childhood vaccinations against measles, whooping cough and HPV.
Coronavirus is linked to an increase in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, a rare but serious condition that can affect a child’s organs. Waddell says some parents are hesitant to vaccinate their children due to worries about long-term impacts, but he says those concerns are groundless.
According to state data, less than a quarter of Iowa’s five- to 11-year-olds have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
