Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2023-12
Vaccines for Children Provider Practices in the COVID-19 Vaccination Program: Barriers to Participation,Intentions to Offer COVID-19 Vaccination to Children Aged <5 Years,and Vaccination Promotion,United States,March 2022
The aim of the study was to assess barriers to Vaccines for Children (VFC) provider practices participating in the COVID-19 Vaccination Program and intentions to offer COVID-19 vaccination to children aged <5 years. We invited a random sample of 15 000 VFC provider practices in the United States to complete an online survey during February 28 to March 11, 2022. Of 2809 practices that completed the survey, 2246 (80.0%) were enrolled in the COVID-19 Vaccination Program. Concerns around staff resources, vaccine and supply storage space, and vaccine wastage from multidose vials were the most frequently reported program-enrollment barriers. Among enrolled practices that have decided whether to offer COVID-19 vaccination to the children aged <5 years, 1641 (88.8% of 1848) reported likely offering it to current patients, and 1165 reported likely offering it to children who are not current patients. Addressing participation barriers and encouraging active promotion may increase COVID-19 vaccination coverage of children.
Fleming-DutraKEWallaceMMouliaDL, et al. Interim recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices for use of moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines in children aged 6 months–5 years—United States, June 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71:859-868. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7126e2.
3.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). COVID Data Tracker. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; 2022. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker.
4.
O’LearySTAllisonMAVogtT, et al. Pediatricians’ experiences with and perceptions of the vaccines for children program. Pediatrics. 2020;145(3):e20191207. doi:10.1542/peds.2019-1207.
5.
WhitneyCGZhouFSingletonJ, et al. Benefits from immunization during the vaccines for children program era—United States, 1994-2013. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2014;63(16):352-355. doi: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6316a4.htm.
6.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 Vaccination Program Enrollment Data, Tiberius [unpublished data].
7.
WoodworthKRMouliaDCollinsJP, et al. The advisory committee on immunization practices’ interim recommendation for use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5–11 years—United States, November 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021;70:1579-1583. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7045e1.
SantibanezTABlackCLVogtTM, et al. Where are children ages 5-17 years receiving their COVID-19 vaccinations? Variations over time and by sociodemographic characteristics, United States. Vaccine. 2022;40(48):6917-6923. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.10.025.
12.
SantibanezTAZhouTBlackCL, et al. Sociodemographic variation in early uptake of COVID-19 vaccine and parental intent and attitudes toward vaccination of children aged 6 months–4 years—United States, July 1–29, 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71:1479-1484. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7146a3.
13.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. Guidance for PREP Act coverage for qualified pharmacy technicians and state-authorized pharmacy interns for childhood vaccines, COVID-19 vaccines, and COVID-19 testing. Published October 20, 2020. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/prep-act-guidance.pdf.
14.
KimCYeeRBhatkotiR, et al. COVID-19 vaccine provider access and vaccination coverage among children aged 5–11 years—United States, November 2021–January 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71:378-383. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7110a4.
BrewerNTHallMEMaloTLGilkeyMBQuinnBLathrenC.Announcements versus conversations to improve HPV vaccination coverage: a randomized trial. Pediatrics. 2017;139(1):e20161764. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-1764.
SantoliJMLindleyMCDeSilvaMB, et al. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine pediatric vaccine ordering and administration—United States, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69:591-593. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6919e2.
24.
Patel MurthyBZellEKirtlandK, et al. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on administration of selected routine childhood and adolescent vaccinations—10 U.S. jurisdictions, March–September 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021;70:840-845. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7023a2.
25.
AlbersANThakerJNewcomerSR.Barriers to and facilitators of early childhood immunization in rural areas of the United States: a systematic review of the literature. Prev Med Rep. 2022;27:101804.
26.
VogtTMZhangFBanksM, et al. Provision of pediatric immunization services during the COVID-19 pandemic: an assessment of capacity among pediatric immunization providers participating in the vaccines for children program—United States, May 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69:859-863. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6927a2.
27.
DeCuirJMengLPanY, et al. COVID-19 vaccine provider availability and vaccination coverage among children aged 5–11 years—United States, November 1, 2021–April 25, 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71:847-851. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7126a3.
28.
SchererAMGidengilCAGedlinskeAM, et al. COVID-19 vaccination intentions, concerns, and facilitators among US parents of children ages 6 months through 4 years. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(8):e2227437. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.27437.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
