MARQUETTE — Michigan public health and school leaders on Monday urged Michigan parents to get their children caught up on all vaccinations before they return to in-person classes this fall.

The goal, they said at a news conference in East Lansing, is to prevent serious communicable diseases such as measles, mumps, pertussis and chickenpox from spreading.

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, state chief deputy director for health and chief medical executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, addressed the effects of COVID-19.

“The past 18 months have been incredibly challenging,” she said. “We’ve lost thousands of loved ones to this pandemic. Many, many more have been infected by this terrible virus.”

However, she expressed hope, considering medical science has provided the tools — specifically vaccines — to fight many diseases, including COVID-19.

Khaldun said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that for children born in the United States between 1994 and 2013, vaccinations will prevent 322 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths over the course of those children’s lifetimes.

“Now that is a big deal,” she said.

Vaccines available in the United States, she indicated, are tested through a “robust process” that includes diverse clinic trials with data reviewed by doctors and scientists before people receive them.

“Vaccines are safe and vaccines are effective,” Khaldun said.

She also stressed that when an area has lower vaccination rates, it creates an environment where diseases can spread.

Khaldun made a recommendation for the upcoming school year.

“As families, students, teachers and administrators prepare for this upcoming school year, I urge every parent to make sure their child is up to date on all of their vaccinations,” she said.

That includes the COVID-19 vaccine, she noted.

“Unfortunately, we are still in the middle of a pandemic,” Khaldun said. “We are seeing our cases, unfortunately, go in the wrong direction here in the state of Michigan, with our cases going up and the percent of tests that are coming back positive increasing as well.”

She reiterated that if a child is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, that child should be vaccinated.

Additionally, the CDC and MDHHS recommend universal masking for all teachers, staff and students indoors regardless of vaccination distance, she said. There also should be social distancing of at least 3 feet as well as testing.

“While kids are less likely to get severely ill from COVID-19, they still can, and the more virus we have in the community, the greater the risk is that a child will also come in contact with the virus and be ill,” Khaldun said.

Although she acknowledged that in-school learning is important, proper health protocols must be implemented.

“Please, do not give up on this pandemic yet,” Khaldun said. “We have simply come too far.”

Officials indicated the vaccination rates of younger children in many states, including Michigan, dropped during the pandemic as parents postponed well-child visits to protect their kids from COVID-19. As a result, vaccination rates for Michigan children ages 19 months to 36 months have fallen below 70% in 46 of 83 Michigan counties, according to June data from the Michigan Care Improvement Registry. In seven Michigan counties and the city of Detroit, the rate has dropped below 60%.

Vaccination coverage in adolescents has also fallen since the start of the pandemic, from 77% in January 2020 to 73.7% this June.

The 10 areas with the lowest vaccination rates for children ages 19 to 36 months are: Oscoda County (45%), Detroit (48.4%), Gladwin County (52%), Keweenaw County (55.6%), Iron County (57.6%), Cass County (58.7%), Lake County (59.3%), Clare County (59.6%), Sanilac County (60.8%) and Houghton County (61.3%).

MDHHS recently issued updated recommendations for preventing COVID-19 transmission in schools and reducing disruptions to in-person learning, which include promoting vaccination for eligible staff and students, masking indoors regardless of vaccination status, practicing physical distancing and conducting testing.

While the COVID-19 vaccine is not currently part of the required childhood or adolescent schedule, 32.9% of Michigan 12- to 15-year-olds and 42.6% of 16- to 19-year-olds have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Veronica McNally, president of the Franny Strong Foundation and founder of the I Vaccinate campaign, said she attended the news conference as a parent who lost her infant daughter in 2012 to pertussis, also known as whooping cough, calling it a “vaccine-preventable disease.”

“I want to encourage Michigan parents to contact their child’s health care provider today to get their children caught up on their routine childhood immunizations and get their adolescents the COVID-19 vaccine,” McNally said. “It is really important to do this to be safe and to be in school this fall.”

She said doctors and public health experts agree that a vaccination rate of about 70% is the minimum protection desired.

“There’s no question that this pandemic has led to an increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, particularly among our unvaccinated children,” McNally said.

She suggested people visit ivaccinate.org for more information.

Health Center Week declared

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a proclamation marking Aug. 8-14 as Health Center Week.

“Community health centers are at the forefront of fighting emerging health care crises in our state, including the COVID-19 pandemic,” Whitmer said in a statement. “Our community health centers have supported testing and treatment for COVID patients while continuing everyday operations through extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

“These centers provide affordable, comprehensive care to underserved communities across Michigan and our state is grateful for the hope and healing they provide to countless communities every day.”

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has continually challenged Michiganders in all facets of life, said Dennis Litos, CEO of the Michigan Primary Care Association, in a news release.

“Our community health centers have done yeoman’s work in helping us navigate through COVID-19 by providing testing, vaccine administration and quality health care for all,” he said. “The MPCA is very grateful for the leadership of Gov. Whitmer and MDHHS in supporting our health centers and our citizens throughout the pandemic.”

Health Center Week offers the opportunity to celebrate Michigan’s health center organizations and all those responsible.

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.