Parents are increasingly choosing not to vaccinate their children, according to a joint NBC Bay Area and NBC News investigation. An analysis of nationwide health records, in partnership with researchers at Stanford University, reveals declining vaccination rates in nearly 80% of U.S. counties and jurisdictions.
The new findings come on the heels of the federal government walking back recommendations on the Covid vaccine, causing confusion over who can get the shot and whether insurance companies will actually pay for it. At the same time, Florida is promising to do away with some of its own child vaccine mandates within the next few months.
“What’s at stake is lives,” said Dr. Lisa Santora, a longtime physician and Marin County’s top public health officer. “Vaccines are one of our most important public health tools, if not the most important public health tool, for protecting us, preventing hospitalizations and deaths.”
What I would call one of the original sins of vaccine misinformation is making that connection.…