A recent report from Blue Cross Blue Shield shows that many people have delayed or stopped getting routine and preventative care during the pandemic.

According to the report, there has been a significant drop in childhood vaccinations. It shows that 40% of parents say their children missed vaccines because of COVID-19.  

Doctors say those missed shots could lead to an increase in dangerous diseases and a decrease in the current community protection against those diseases.

"Certain vaccines rely on herd immunity…that means if you fall below a certain rate of vaccination, you can have sporadic cases of measles or whooping cough or meningitis,” says Dr. Sara Siddiqui, of NYU Langone Health Huntington Medical Group. “These are very, very dangerous diseases that we do not want to see right now in the middle of pandemic.”

She says they are trying to keep healthy people healthy, and she is urging parents to reach out to their pediatrician to maintain their children's vaccine schedule.