As we watch the ramp-up of COVID-19 vaccination, we can marvel at the ingenuity that brought these vital agents to market in under a year. But it also starkly underlines the importance of vaccines as a whole to society. Unfortunately, a decline in routine vaccination was among the unwelcome consequences of the pandemic lockdowns that began in March 2020, which significantly altered health care as we know it. Patient visits for routine and emergency care began to decrease. This has resulted in a reduced rate of vaccinations for vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) across the nation. Read More