Kindergarten vaccination rates for childhood diseases held steady across Sonoma County during pandemic

Across the globe, childhood vaccination rates for chickenpox, measles, whooping cough, polio and other diseases have declined, largely thought to be the result of social upheaval during the pandemic.

But, on Wednesday, Sonoma County health officials released data that showed no significant change in the share of kindergartners with all required immunizations during the past two years.

According to the data, in 2021, Sonoma County kindergartners were 92.6% immunized. That rate was 91.6% in 2020 and 92.3 in 2019.

While good news, Sonoma County education and health officials said several school districts, particularly in the West County, likely have significantly lower vaccination rates than the county average. Officials are still reviewing the data to see to what extent, if any, the pandemic had on kindergarten vaccination rates in each district.

“When you look at the results as a countywide average, it is good news,” said Steve Herrington, chief for Sonoma County Schools. “But when you look at it geographically, you will find that we have some districts well below 90%. That is a high-risk situation in those schools.”

Herrington, speaking during an online public forum Wednesday, said the health risks at schools with low routine vaccination rates are compounded by the ongoing presence of COVID-19 in the community.

The forum, carried via Zoom and hosted by county public health and education officials, was aimed at relaying information to parents on the eve of the start of classes. About half of school-aged kids return to class on Thursday, said Herrington.

Dr. Sundari Mase, the county’s health officer, said during the forum that from a public health perspective, even a rate of 92% is low when dealing with preventable diseases.

“It’s just sort of a no-brainer that we need to get vaccines in kids so that we don't have outbreaks,” Mase said. “Over the course of the last 15, 20 years, we’ve seen pertussis outbreaks in unvaccinated populations … all over the U.S.”

Mase said that recently, there has been an increase in “polio, of all things, that we felt had been eradicated.”

Earlier this week, county school officials had feared some students across the county had fallen behind on the immunizations that are required by state law to attend school. They pointed to a report in July by the World Health Organization and UNICEF that found 25 million infants around the world missed out on vaccinations in 2021.

Officials said these vaccines protect communities against illnesses such as measles, polio and hepatitis B. Herrington said that in California one in eight children are behind in their required immunizations.

“It's important that we get them caught up because what we don't want happening, and I think Dr. Mase has made this clear, we don't need to have COVID as one outbreak and chickenpox as another outbreak, or measles or whooping cough,” Herrington said.

County health officials urged parents Wednesday to make sure students of all ages were up to date on their vaccinations. Parents or guardians of students in public or private schools or child care facilities are no longer allowed to submit personal belief exemptions to required vaccines. Students are excluded from enrolling until they have started the vaccination series.

State law requires vaccinations for students entering transitional kindergarten or kindergarten, or entering public or private schools for the first time.

These requirements also typically apply to new admissions of students from outside of the state, as well as seventh grade students who previously had a valid personal beliefs exemption filed before 2016.

Herrington and Mase said they’ll be reaching out to school districts that continue to have the lowest vaccine rates.

In the WHO and UNICEF report, researchers found that the decline in child vaccination rates was the biggest sustained decline in routine childhood vaccinations in 30 years. The report said the decline was likely caused by pandemic disruptions, conflict, displacement and increasing vaccine misinformation.

The backslide highlights the growing number of kids who are at risk from devastating but preventable diseases, the report said.

Sonoma County officials said that although vaccines against COVID-19 are not required to attend school, they are strongly recommended.

During Wednesday’s forum, Mase and Herrington outlined steps that are being taken to ensure children are safe as they return to school this week and next. Indoor masking is strongly recommended, and all kids and staff are advised to take an antigen test before returning to school.

“Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should stay home from school for at least five days,” Mase said. “If there are no symptoms, and there's a negative test on Day Five, then the student can end isolation.”

Mase said quarantining is no longer required for those who have had close contact with someone who has tested positive. However, close contacts should test within three to five days of a positive exposure and wear a mask for a total of 10 days, she said.

Mase said that although there is currently widespread transmission of COVID-19, there has not been the same level of severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths that previous surges have caused. She said there are no foreseeable plans to have schools closed in the coming school year.

Herrington reminded parents that this year, as with last year, there is no remote-learning option available for schoolchildren, though there are state-funded options for independent study.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.