Childhood Vaccination Rates Remained Behind Pre-pandemic Levels by Late 2023

Rates of childhood immunizations for illnesses including diphtheria and pertussis remained 7% lower than pre-pandemic levels in October 2023, according to a study published in the April 2025 Pediatrics. The study, “COVID-19 and Completion of Select Routine Childhood Vaccinations,” published online March 26, analyzed the vaccination records of 395,143 infants across eight U.S. health systems in six states. It found that roughly 88% of infants aged 5 months were up-to-date on their vaccines in February 2020, compared to roughly 81% in October 2023. Similar patterns were seen for children at age 1 year. Study authors state certain groups were more severely impacted, including Black infants, those with caregivers whose primary language was neither English nor Spanish, those who attended fewer clinic visits, and those insured by Medicaid. Authors expressed concern that a future pandemic could further derail children’s vaccine schedules and make them susceptible to deadly childhood illnesses or contribute to the resurgence of vaccine preventable diseases,  which is already being observed with increasing rates of pertussis and other infections. 

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.