Senator Charles Schumer advocates a strategy to combat the lack of RSV vaccines

Rochester, New York – Senator Charles Schumer is advocating for the nation’s RSV vaccination shortage once more.

The senator urged the FDA and pharmaceutical companies to expedite the vaccination, which has been demonstrated to lower the risk of RSV problems by 70%, while he was at the Riedman Health Center on Monday.

According to Schumer, the shortfall has affected private practitioners as well as hospitals and other municipal institutions.

“Some areas have shortages and some don’t,” said Schumer. “I’m asking CDC to tell the companies that sell this to start distributing it to places like Rochester where we have a shortage.”

Rochester Regional Health claims to have only gotten a very small initial supply of the vaccine, despite having ordered hundreds of doses.

Additionally, the hospital reports that over 4,000 babies were delivered in the last year, but most of them were unable to obtain the vaccination because of a shortage.

Since her baby first developed RSV at the age of two months, Tara Keller is well aware of the potential severity of the virus.

“We rushed him to the hospital where he was admitted and stayed for four days with RSV,” said Keller. “It feels like a giant step forward to have the vaccine, but two steps backward when it’s not available.”

Before turning one year old, 1 in 50 babies are admitted to the hospital due to RSV every year; many of them require critical care.

“Doctors should never have to make a choice between who gets a shot and who doesn’t,” said Schumer in a statement. “Families have to wait weeks or months before they can protect their kids from RSV.”