Changes in vaccine administration trends across the life-course during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: a claims database study

Abstract

Background This study provides an updated and expanded analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine vaccinations across the life-course in the United States. Research design and methods Routine wellness visits and vaccination rates were calculated using structured claims data for each month during the impact period (January 2020 to August 2022) and compared to the respective baseline period (January 2018 to December 2019). Monthly rates were aggregated as annual accumulated and cumulative percent changes. Results The complete monthly rate interactive dataset can be viewed at https://vaccinationtrends.com. The greatest decrease in annual accumulated administration rates in the 0–2 and 4–6 years age groups was for the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine; for adolescents and older adults, it was for human papillomavirus and pneumococcal vaccines, respectively. Routine in-person wellness visit rates recovered faster and more completely than vaccination rates in all age groups, indicating potential missed opportunities to administer vaccines during visits. Conclusions This updated analysis reveals that the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine vaccination continued through 2021 and into 2022. Proactive efforts to reverse this decline are needed to increase individual- and population-level vaccination coverage and avoid the associated preventable morbidity, mortality, and health care costs.

Keywords

• vaccination
• immunization
• covid-19
• adults
• pediatrics
• adolescents
• policy