COVID-19 booster coverage low among children on home ventilation
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Key takeaways:
- Half of participants received an initial dose of COVID-19 vaccine, but only 23% received a booster.
- Participants who received influenza vaccination were almost 9 times more likely to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Children with tracheostomy and home ventilation had low COVID-19 vaccination rates, especially for boosters, despite higher than average influenza vaccination coverage, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.
“Children who receive tracheostomy and home ventilation are at high risk of acute respiratory infections, the leading cause of hospitalizations and death among these patients,” Robert J. Graham, MD, associate professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School, and colleagues wrote. “Concern, however, exists that growing anti-vaccination sentiments, emerging ‘medical freedom movements,’ and specific mistrust of COVID-19 vaccines may negatively affect rates of vaccination among children at high risk.”
Graham and colleagues evaluated influenza and COVID-19 vaccine rates for 193 children (63% boys; mean age, 10.51 years; interquartile range [IQR], 6.26-14.1 years) enrolled in the Multicenter Tracheostomy Collaboration study. They compared vaccination rates among study participants with coverage among children in the United States.
Participants had higher influenza vaccination coverage than the national average (75% vs. 50%). Uptake of the initial COVID-19 vaccination series was similar among participants and U.S. children overall (53% vs. 50%), but fewer participants received a COVID-19 booster (23% vs. 50%).
In a multivariable analysis, older children were more likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccine than younger children (OR = 1.14; 95% CI, 1.09-1.19). Participants who received an influenza vaccine were almost 9 times more likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine (OR = 8.93; 95% CI, 4.59-17.37).
“Ultimately, there is discordance between the intensive, technology-dependent care these families provide their children, their relative acceptance of influenza vaccine, and the low COVID-19 vaccination rates,” Graham and colleagues wrote. “These findings highlight the need for qualitative studies to understand COVID-19 vaccine resistance, systematic measures to optimize access, and additional education programs among populations at high risk and the general public.”
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