The impact of COVID-19 on pneumococcal and influenza vaccination rates in the elderly within a primary care physician group

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The CDC recommends that all adults 65 and over receive the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) once and the influenza vaccine yearly. These vaccines are often administered during in-office visits with primary care physicians (PCP) however, since many of these visits occurred using telemedicine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunity to receive these vaccinations may have been impacted. Research Question or Hypothesis: To compare the rate of yearly influenza and pneumonia vaccine for adults 65-years and older in 2020 to the three years prior (2017, 2018, and 2019). Study Design: Single-center, retrospective chart review from January 2017 through December 2020. Methods: PPSV23 and influenza vaccine data was collected via the electronic medical record. All adults > 65-years old with a PCP within the group were included. Adults with a documented allergy to either vaccine were excluded. Descriptive statistics were used to present the rates of these vaccines in each year included. Results: There were 2,168 PPSV23 administered in 2020, 2,164 administered in 2019, 1,847 administered in 2018, and 1,976 administered in 2017. In 2020, 12.25% of newly eligible patients were vaccinated by the end of the calendar year. In the 3 years prior, an average of 5.51% of newly eligible patients were vaccinated by the end of the calendar year. There were 3,619 influenza vaccines administered in 2020, 3,746 vaccines administered in 2019, 5,898 vaccines administered in 2018, and 5,926 vaccines administered in 2017. There was a total of 1,346 individuals who received an influenza vaccine in 2020 who did not receive one in the 3 years prior. Conclusion: When compared to previous years, the rate of PPSV23 increased and the rate of influenza vaccinations decreased. These results may suggest that COVID-19 lead to more patients wanting protection against pneumonia and less patients wanting protection against influenza.