Commentary: Sex Differences in the COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in the United States

Abstract

Objective: This commentary critically evaluates a recent scoping review on differences in COVID-19 vaccine intentions and uptake in the United States (U.S.) by gender or sex.

Data Source: The reference articles in the scoping review titled “A Scoping Review on Gender/Sex Differences in COVID-19 Vaccine Intentions and Uptake in the United States” and other published articles on the subject.

Study inclusion and exclusion criteria: Peer-reviewed articles in the English language that studied COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the U.S. population and evaluated sex/gender differences in vaccination were included. Studies that only assessed COVID-19 vaccine intentions in the U.S. population were excluded.

Data extraction: Not applicable to this study.

Data synthesis: Not applicable to this study.

Results: The commentary findings on gender/sex differences are drawn from limited evidence, many with particular subpopulations (e.g., healthcare workers and military personnel) and an unbalanced gender/sex mix. Additionally, several studies use data from small surveys. By contrast, analyses using immunization registry data and large nationally representative surveys consistently find a higher COVID-19 vaccine uptake among women than men overall and in most age groups.

Conclusion: This commentary argues for the inclusion of higher-quality, population-representative data sources within reviews to illustrate gender/sex differences in vaccine coverage more accurately.