Abstract
Background
Influenza vaccination is the most effective way to prevent influenza and influenza-associated complications including those leading to hospitalization. Resources otherwise used for influenza could support caring for patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center Program serves 30 million people annually by providing comprehensive primary health care, including influenza vaccination, to demographically diverse and historically underserved communities. As racial and ethnic minority groups have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, the objective of this analysis was to assess disparities in influenza vaccination at HRSA-funded health centers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and HRSA analyzed cross-sectional data on influenza vaccinations from a weekly, voluntary Health Center COVID-19 survey after addition of an influenza-related question covering November 7-27, 2020.
Results
During the three-week period, 1,126 (81%) of 1385 health centers responded to the survey. Most of the 811,738 influenza vaccinations took place in urban areas and in the Western US Region. There were disproportionately more health center influenza vaccinations among racial and ethnic minorities in comparison with county demographics, except among Non-Hispanic Blacks and American Indian/Alaska Natives.
Conclusions
HRSA-funded health centers were able to quickly vaccinate large numbers of mostly racial or ethnic minority populations, disproportionately more than county demographics. However, additional efforts might be needed to reach specific racial populations and persons in rural areas. Success in influenza vaccination efforts can support success in SARS-CoV-2 vaccination efforts.
Keywords: COVID-19, influenza, vaccination