This opinion editorial was posted on the Lansing State Journal. Read more here.
While the COVID-19 pandemic might not be dominating the news cycle anymore, the virus has not gone away. It can still lead to severe health outcomes for our community’s most vulnerable members.
To combat the risks associated with the virus, the Ingham County Health Department is continuing its Your Shot vaccination awareness campaign. We are deeply invested in the welfare of our community; it is our mission. Our goal is to empower residents with both the knowledge and the means to get vaccinated.
COVID-19 cases spiked nationwide this summer, and the winter months promise further elevated numbers. While the severity of COVID-19 outcomes has decreased since the pandemic’s peak in 2020 and 2021, it still has contributed to numerous deaths in the state in 2024. Since the pathogen continues to mutate, it’s a good idea to stay up-to-date with the latest vaccines.
The COVID-19 vaccine does not completely prevent you from getting sick, but it does lower the chance of getting seriously ill or developing “long COVID.”
Getting vaccinated is a simple step to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy and happy. This is even more important for those spending time with immunocompromised individuals and older adults — especially those in assisted living communities, nursing homes or hospitals.
In addition to COVID-19 safety, the Your Shot campaign stresses the importance of staying up to date on all routine vaccinations.
Ingham County is not immune to the drop in routine vaccine rates, especially for infants who need protection against serious childhood illnesses.
In 2023, the countywide immunization rate for 19- to 35-month-olds was down to just 66.2%. When childhood vaccination rates fall below 70%, communities become vulnerable to outbreaks of preventable diseases such as measles, mumps and chickenpox, among others.
Though some may think of diseases like measles and mumps as diseases of the past because they were mostly eradicated in the U.S., they are starting to come back.
In February, a case of the measles in Oakland County became the first confirmed in Michigan since 2019. There have been several more since but, fortunately, no serious outbreak.
According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC), measles are highly contagious and lead to hospitalization in one in four cases. It is lethal in about one in 1,000 cases, with most deaths occurring in children under 5 years old.
If there was a button you could press to make sure your child wouldn’t face these risks, you wouldn’t hesitate to press it. This is what the MMR vaccine can do. Plus, when a child gets vaccinated, it helps protect those who can’t get vaccinated due to health issues such as cancer or other underlying conditions.
We encourage people to talk to their trusted healthcare professional about questions or concerns they may have about vaccines.
Dr. Adenike Shoyinka is the medical health officer at the Ingham County Health Department.