CHESAPEAKE, Va. – Tracy King’s 13-year-old son just started the seventh grade in the Norfolk School District, but after the first day, he says his son was sent home.
“He can’t come back to school until he gets his shots," King said.
In Virginia, there’s a list of school-required vaccines that students need before they start.
When King tried to get his son up to date on his shots at his doctor’s office, he was met with another problem.
“I go to the pediatrics, and they tell me they’re so backed up because of the shots at the beginning of the year, and whatever other reasons, for another 30-odd days,” King said.
Dr. Ryan Light, a family practitioner at TPMG Tidewater Medical Center at Greenbrier in Chesapeake said it took three to four weeks for a meningitis shot, known as meningococcus A, or MenA, to come into the office.
MenA is a requirement for students, like King’s son, going into the seventh grade.
Dr. Light said that’s not the only shot that’s delayed.
“We have delays on all our vaccinations,” he said. “Usually we order and they’re [in] within 24-48 hours. Now, we’re taking three to five business days on a lot of our vaccinations just to get in-stock from the supplier.”
Dr. Light’s officer isn’t alone. He said other providers are facing delays in getting some vaccines, including pharmacies.
News 3 called several pharmacies, including Rite Aid and CVS. They say they’ve had a backlog in the meningitis shot for several weeks.
The Walgreens on Volvo Parkway in Chesapeake tells News 3, they’ve been waiting for the MenA shot for several months.
Dr. Light said he’s never had a problem with getting MenA into the office right away. He believes it could be a manufacturing issue.
“I don’t know all the details of it, but when you have a bunch of different suppliers making other vaccines, such as COVID and things like that, what we may see is there is a delay,” he said. “Plus, we have the flu vaccines that are out there right now, so that causes delay in manufacturing as well.”
Meantime, some school districts, including Hampton and Portsmouth are working with families during the backlog so their children don’t have to miss school.
Both school districts are asking parents to show proof they have the required vaccinations scheduled.
Portsmouth schools are also allowing a 30-day grace period that ends October 7.
Meantime, for King, his son’s appointment is coming up in the next couple of weeks, but he worries about how much learning his son is missing out on in the classroom.
“It’s been two years since corona and everything; he’s already behind,” said King. “The whole generation seems like it’s behind, so yeah, I’m concerned him being behind. Last year was the buses. This year, getting to school and staying in school, I believe is what’s important.”
Norfolk Public Schools did not respond to our requests for comment.
Meantime, a spokesperson for CHKD says it is not experiencing any delays in getting any of the school-required vaccines.
