How influenza vaccination changed over the COVID-19 pandemic? (preprint)

ABSTRACT

Background: Vaccination for seasonal influenzas is particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the influenza vaccination coverage in the U.S. was far lower than the targeted rate. Objective: To examine how people's actual uptake of the influenza vaccine and the disparity of the vaccination changed during the pandemic. Methods: A survey was conducted online in November 2022. Respondents were asked for influenza vaccination during each of the three latest seasons, prior influenza vaccination history, and COVID-19 vaccination. A linear regression model was used to estimate how the respondents' change in influenza vaccination was associated with their demographics, COVID-19 vaccination status, and other related variables. Results: Nearly 70% of US adults had influenza vaccine each season during past the three seasons of the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of influenza vaccination varied markedly across demographics. Non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and people with low educational attainment were more likely to see relatively negative changes in their level of influenza vaccination. Respondents who uptook their COVID-19 vaccine in 2022 increased their level of influenza vaccine more than those who uptook the vaccine in 2021. Conclusions: Our study indicated that influenza vaccination increased during the pandemic compared with before the pandemic. The disparity of influenza vaccination by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status may enlarge during the pandemic. Tailored interventions were needed to target some groups to promote their vaccination uptake.