Racial/ethnic disparities are seen in COVID-19 vaccination coverage among children and adolescents, according to research published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Tianyi Zhou, MPH, and colleagues found that 33.2% of children aged 5-11, 59.0% of those 12-15, and 68.6% of those 16-17 had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose by August 31, 2022. Non-Hispanic Asians had the highest coverage, ranging from 63.4% to 91.8% for those aged 5-11 and 16-17, respectively. The next highest coverage was seen for Hispanic or Latino children and adolescents (ranging from 34.5% to 77.3%). For children and adolescents aged 12-15 and 16-17, similar coverage was seen for individuals who were non-Hispanic Black or African American, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic other race/ multiple races. For those aged 5-11, coverage was lower among Black children than Hispanic, Asian, and other/multiple race children. “Programs should provide culturally relevant information and employ evidence-based strategies, including tailored messages delivered by trusted messengers and strong recommendations from vaccination providers, to increase vaccine confidence and coverage among all groups, and to eliminate the disparities for those with lower vaccination coverage,” Dr. Zhou and colleagues wrote.
