San Antonio: Metro Health Reminds The Public Of The Importance Of Keeping Your Child’s Routine Vaccination Schedule During Coronavirus

Press release from the City of San Antonio:

April 27, 2020

SAN ANTONIO, TX (April 27, 2020) - As National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) begins on April 25-May 2, 2020, Metro Health wants to remind the public of the importance of continuing to get your child’s routine vaccines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Metro Health recommend you keep all well-child visits scheduled with your pediatrician so that your child can stay up-to-date on their immunizations.

NIIW focuses on the positive impact of vaccination on the lives of infants and children. The CDC estimates that routine immunization of children born between 1994 and 2018 will prevent an estimated 419 million illnesses, 26.8 million hospitalizations, and 936,000 early deaths over their lifetimes, at a net savings of $406 billion in direct costs and $1.88 trillion in total economic impact.

Healthcare professionals are on the front lines of the fight against vaccine-preventable diseases and that work does not stop during the COVID-19 outbreak. Ensuring the delivery of newborn and well-child care, including childhood immunizations, continues to remain a top priority. Additionally, the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program provides vaccines at no cost to children who might not otherwise be vaccinated because of inability to pay.

For more information on VFC eligibility or to find a VFC provider near you, please visit the DSHS webpage at or Metro Health’s webpage.

Remember to take safety measures during this COVID-19 season and please call your child’s pediatrician today and find out how you can safely get your child up-to-date on their vaccines. The shots must go on.

Residents must keep up the following habits while in public:

• Wash your hands before you leave home and when you return
• Stay at least six feet away from other people
• Avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes
• Wear a cloth face covering when you can’t maintain social distancing
• Wear a wear a face covering that fits snuggly but comfortably against the side of your face and covers both your nose and mouth

The best protection against COVID-19 is to stay home.

FOUR WAYS TO SIGN UP FOR COVID-19 ALERTS

1. Download the Ready South Texas app, available in the iTunes and Google Play stores
2. Text COSAGOV to 55000 to receive SMS text message updates
3. Follow @COSAGOV on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
4. Bookmark www.SanAntonio.gov

This press release was produced by the City of San Antonio. The views expressed here are the author’s own.