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Public health director: Wake County kindergarten vaccine coverage strong but monitoring needed
Summary
Wake County Public Health reported kindergarten vaccine coverage at about 94.1% with 2.4% documented exemptions and described expanded back-to-school clinics, extended hours and regional center outreach to reduce barriers and sustain high coverage.
Rebecca Kauffman, Wake County public health director, told the committee that local immunization coverage has improved since multi‑year declines and remains strong relative to many jurisdictions, but she urged continued outreach to sustain protection.
"94.1 percent of kindergarten students were up to date on all required vaccines," Kauffman said, and she noted Wake County’s exemption rate at about 2.4%, primarily for religious reasons. She described a back‑to‑school vaccine initiative funded in part by extended communicable disease funding from the state that expanded hours, added Saturday clinics and moved clinics into regional centers to reduce access barriers.
Kauffman also discussed adult vaccination challenges and said Wake County expects to begin administering the 2025–2026 COVID vaccine once local supply and guidance are in place. She encouraged partnerships with schools and libraries for outreach and said public health is using the NC kindergarten vaccine dashboard to track trends and target communications. The department is also holding weekly flu‑shot clinics and will schedule COVID shots as supply arrives.
