Some children are not getting the shots that can prevent diseases like measles, mumps and whooping cough. Indiana’s chief medical officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver said in a Friday update from the Dept. of Health that parents should not neglect those shots, regardless of the pandemic or any other reason.

“No child should die from a preventable disease because their healthcare was delayed. Do not skip your shots,” said Weaver, noting that orders for shots through the Vaccines for Children program had fallen off sharply.

“The VFC program has seen steep declines in some counties,” she said. “The drop off in ordering has been as high as 77 percent in some areas and nearly a dozen counties saw their VFC orders drop by 50 percent or more.”

She said the state is working with schools in some areas to make sure that kids get those routine vaccines.