How many toddlers are getting their recommended vaccines? New data tracks coverage.

Every parent wants to know their child is protected. A new surveillance report from the National Immunization Survey-Child gives us a look at how many toddlers in the United States are getting their recommended vaccines by their second birthday. It focuses on children born in 2019 and 2020, tracking not just overall vaccination coverage but also disparities in who is getting these shots. This is purely observational data—it describes what's happening in communities, not the effects or safety of the vaccines themselves. The specific numbers on coverage and the size of any gaps aren't reported in the available summary, so we can't yet say how the picture has changed. What it does provide is a crucial temperature check on our public health system for young children.