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Review
. 2023 Aug 1;19(2):2246502.
doi: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2246502.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vaccination uptake in the United States and strategies to recover and improve vaccination rates: A review

Luke Cunniff  1 , Elif Alyanak  2 , Alessandra Fix  2 , Mara Novak  2 , Megan Peterson  2 , Kate Mevis  1 , Amanda L Eiden  3 , Alexandra Bhatti  1
Affiliations
Review

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vaccination uptake in the United States and strategies to recover and improve vaccination rates: A review

Luke Cunniff et al. Hum Vaccin Immunother. .

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine healthcare delivery, causing declines in CDC-recommended vaccination rates across the life-course in the United States (US). Ensuring protection against disease outbreaks and associated morbidity and mortality depends on improving vaccine coverage rates (VCRs) and uptake. The authors conducted a targeted literature review to assess the pandemic's effects on routine vaccination rates across different populations, evaluating VCR recovery and improvement efforts. The review highlights articles published with data measuring or evaluating VCR decline across the US during the COVID-19 pandemic from January 2020 to April 2022, associated health impacts, and policy and programmatic strategies to recover routine VCRs. While vaccination rates stagnated or declined across some populations pre-pandemic, the review indicated there were further VCR declines in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019 across numerous CDC-recommended vaccines, ages, and geographies, with some vaccines and sub-populations disproportionally impacted. The review additionally identified declines in patient healthcare visit frequency and increases in morbidity and mortality associated with vaccine-preventable disease (VPD) complications. Reviewed publications highlighted multifaceted strategies that could aid in recovering VCRs. Overall, findings demonstrate a significant reduction in VCRs across all age groups and highlight promising solutions to inform vaccine uptake efforts and ensure broader protection against VPDs.

Keywords: COVID-19; catch-up; missed doses; pandemic; routine vaccination; vaccination recovery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors L.C., K.M., A.E., and A.B. are each employed through Merck & Co., Inc.; Rahway, NJ, USA. This research was funded by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA. Authors E.A., A.F., M.N., and M.P. are employed by Avalere Health and provide advisory services for biopharmaceutical manufacturers and other healthcare stakeholders.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Number of studies by vaccine type (n = 20)*.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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