National health leader warns Ohioans of ‘second public health crisis’ as kids go untreated
Children largely escaped the first wave of COVID, but they may be at the epicenter of a new health crisis stemming from the pandemic, a top national health official said Tuesday in Columbus.
© Alex Brandon, AP
Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Seema Verma speaks about protecting seniors, in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, April 30, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
That’s because the routine became rare during at least the first several months of the coronavirus outbreak: child vaccinations, wellness screenings, mental health care and dental visits — especially for low-income children.
“If we are not careful in how we address this, we could give rise to a second public health crisis and that’s the impact of all this foregone care, whether it’s increases in routine illnesses because we’ve missed vaccinations or the screenings not detecting issues in children,” said