Unraveling attributes of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and uptake in the U.S.: a large nationwide study.

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are useful tools to combat the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but vaccine reluctance threatens these vaccines' effectiveness. To address COVID-19 vaccine reluctance and ensure equitable distribution, understanding the extent of and factors associated with vaccine acceptance and uptake is critical. We report the results of a large nationwide study in the US conducted December 2020-May 2021 of 36,711 users from COVID-19-focused smartphone-based app How We Feel on their willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. We identified sociodemographic and behavioral factors that were associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and uptake, and we found several vulnerable groups at increased risk of COVID-19 burden, morbidity, and mortality were more likely to be reluctant to accept a vaccine and had lower rates of vaccination. Our findings highlight specific populations in which targeted efforts to develop education and outreach programs are needed to overcome poor vaccine acceptance and improve equitable access, diversity, and inclusion in the national response to COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Compared with Confirmed COVID-19 Cases among Children, Colorado, USA, May-July 2021.

To compare SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence among children with seropositive confirmed COVID-19 case counts (case ascertainment by molecular amplification) in Colorado, USA, we conducted a cross-sectional serosurvey during May-July 2021. For a convenience sample of 829 Colorado children, SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was 36.7%, compared with prevalence of 6.5% according to individually matched COVID-19 test results reported to public health. Compared with non-Hispanic White children, seroprevalence was higher among Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic other race children, and case ascertainment was significantly lower among Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black children. This serosurvey accurately estimated SARS-CoV-2 prevalence among children compared with confirmed COVID-19 case counts and revealed substantial racial/ethnic disparities in infections and case ascertainment. Continued efforts to address racial and ethnic differences in disease burden and to overcome potential barriers to case ascertainment, including access to testing, may help mitigate these ongoing disparities.

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Among US Parents: A Nationally Representative Survey.

BACKGROUND: Little was known about US parental attitudes, beliefs, and intentions surrounding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines for children before their introduction. METHODS: An online cross-sectional nationally representative survey of US parents/guardians of children < 18 years old via Ipsos KnowledgePanel, fielded from October 26, 2021 to November 30, 2021. RESULTS: Response rate was 64.2% (3230/5034). For children ages 0-4 years, 51.5% of parents were likely to have their children vaccinated, and for ages 5-11 and 12-17, 54.0% and 69.7% of parents, respectively, reported they were likely to vaccinate or had already vaccinated their children. Among respondents with unvaccinated children, 25.2% (ages 0-4) and 22.0% (ages 5-11) reported they would seek COVID-19 vaccination for their children as soon as authorization occurred. Factors associated with willingness to have children receive a COVID-19 vaccine were: belief in benefits of COVID-19 vaccination (odds ratio [OR] = 6.44, 5.68, 4.57 in ages 0-4, 5-11, and 12-17 respectively), acceptance of routine childhood vaccines (OR = 6.42, 5.48, 1.76), parental COVID-19 vaccination (OR = 1.85, 3.70, 6.16), perceptions that pediatric COVID-19 is severe (OR = 1.89, 1.72, 1.35), Hispanic ethnicity (OR = 2.07, 2.29, 2.60), influenza vaccine acceptance (OR = 1.07, 0.88, 1.62), presence of children of another age group in the household (OR = 0.71, 0.71, 0.65), and attitudinal barriers to COVID-19 vaccination (OR = 0.30, 0.26, 0.49). CONCLUSIONS: Belief in the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination and acceptance of routine childhood vaccines are the strongest predictors of intention to vaccinate children. Further research is needed to track how parental attitudes change as more data about pediatric COVID-19 vaccines become available and how intentions translate into pediatric vaccine uptake.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome after Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 Infection in 2 Immunized Adolescents, United States.

Eight weeks after having laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections, 2 otherwise healthy, fully immunized adolescent patients in the United States who were experiencing related signs and symptoms were diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Our findings indicate that COVID-19 vaccination does not completely protect adolescents against multisystem inflammatory syndrome.