Minnesota vaccination numbers took a dip during pandemic and still haven’t rebounded
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) tracks required vaccines in kindergarten-age kids, and vaccination numbers have declined in recent years beginning with the pandemic.
“In Minnesota, we have seen that fully vaccinated rate drop about five percentage points depending on which vaccine you are looking at, so it’s gone from 92% pre-pandemic to around 87%,” said MDH epidemiologist Ben Christianson.
There are a variety of reasons for the decline, including the disruption from the pandemic.
“That really threw families off their routines. It lead to missing well visits and getting outside the routine schedule,” he said.
Christianson says the state has also seen a slight increase in non-medical exemptions for vaccines.
“We have seen an increase in distrust in institutions, whether it’s healthcare or public health. We have seen that in public opinion polling,” Christianson said.