Abstract
State and local school vaccination requirements serve to protect students against vaccine-preventable diseases (1). This report summarizes data collected by state and local immunization programs* on vaccination coverage among children in kindergarten (kindergartners) in 48 states, exemptions for kindergartners in 49 states, and provisional enrollment and grace period status for kindergartners in 28 states for the 2019-20 school year, which was more than halfway completed when most schools moved to virtual learning in the spring because of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Nationally, vaccination coverage† was 94.9% for the state-required number of doses of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP); 95.2% for 2 doses of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR); and 94.8% for the state-required number of varicella vaccine doses. Although 2.5% of kindergartners had an exemption from at least one vaccine,§ another 2.3% were not up to date for MMR and did not have a vaccine exemption. Schools and immunization programs can work together to ensure that undervaccinated students are caught up on vaccinations in preparation for returning to in-person learning. This follow-up is especially important in the current school year, in which undervaccination is likely higher because of disruptions in vaccination during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (2-4).
Highlights
What is already known about this topic?
The national exemption rate remained low at 2.5%
Schools, and immunization programs will need to increase follow-up with undervaccinated students and find ways to overcome pandemic-related barriers to maintain the high level of vaccination coverage necessary to continue protecting school-aged children, their family members, and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases during virtual learning and as schools return to inperson instruction
Summary
The purpose of vaccination assessment is to identify populations at risk and aid in taking programmatic steps to increase vaccination coverage. The COVID-19 pandemic led to late, truncated, or incomplete assessment of kindergarten vaccination status in the 2019–20 school year compared with the 2018–19 school year in some states [7], most student vaccinations would have already occurred before the start of the 2019–20 school year and would not have been affected by the pandemic. Measles outbreaks that affected school-aged children across multiple states during the 2018–19 school year underscore the importance of both school vaccination requirements for preventing. Estimated* coverage† with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR), diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP), and varicella vaccines, grace period/provisional enrollment,§ and any exemption¶ among children enrolled in kindergarten, by immunization program — United States, territories, and associated states, 2019–20 school year
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