COVID-19 vaccine uptake among young adults and influence of asthma

To the Editor:

We would like to comment on the article titled “COVID-19 vaccine uptake among young adults: Influence of asthma and sociodemographic factors” that recently appeared in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Global.¹ The study's objectives were to evaluate young individuals' uptake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine and investigate possible reasons, such as asthma and sociodemographic characteristics. The study participants were members of the population-based birth cohort Barn/Children Allergy/Asthma Milieu Stockholm Epidemiologic (BAMSE). Information for the study was gathered from the National Vaccination Register, clinical data, and questionnaires. Vaccine uptake was found to vary depending on participant’s education level, with 53.9% of the sample group having been registered as receiving at least 3 doses. Compared with individuals without asthma (especially those whose asthma was uncontrolled), the participants with asthma had a lower probability of obtaining at least 3 doses.

Potential response bias in the vaccine and self-reported asthma data, as well as limited generalizability to populations outside the BAMSE cohort, may be weak aspects of the study. The use of self-reporting for vaccine uptake and asthma could create errors, which is one methodologic concern. Future research may examine other factors that influence young individuals' vaccination uptake, such as attitudes toward vaccination, health care availability, and vaccine misinformation. Further studies should look into ways to increase vaccination rates among asthmatic individuals by removing obstacles to vaccine acceptance and accessibility.

All things considered, the study offers insightful information about young individuals' adoption of the COVID-19 vaccine and the effect of asthma on vaccination rates. Building on these findings, future studies should investigate the efficacy of treatments aimed at increasing vaccine uptake in at-risk communities, as well as the long-term consequences of vaccination discrepancies. Future research can aid in the creation of more focused and efficient vaccination programs to enhance public health outcomes by correcting methodologic flaws and broadening the range of factors taken into account.

Disclosure statement

Disclosure of potential conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no relevant conflicts of interest.