Maine pediatricians say they're seeing concerned parents scramble to ensure they have access to childhood vaccines in the wake of federal policy changes.
Dr. Laura Blaisdell, immediate past president of the Maine American Academy of Pediatrics, said those concerns are prompted, in part, by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior's announcement that the Covid vaccine would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women.
"Parents are coming in, they want to have their well visit as soon as possible, as soon as their child is age-eligible," Blaisdell said. "They're asking more about their vaccine schedules and how they can accelerate their vaccine schedules to be as safe as possible but as early as possible."
Blaisdell said some parents are also worried about cost. Both private health insurance as well as Medicaid — known in the state as MaineCare — are generally only required to cover vaccines at no cost if they're federally recommended.
She said pediatricians are working at the local and national level to try to ensure vaccine availability.
Blaisdell adds that the Trump administration's policies on vaccines have also strengthened the views of some parents who have been hesitant about immunizations.
