Spatiotemporal variability in socioeconomic inequalities in COVID-19 vaccination in Catalonia, Spain

Socioeconomic inequalities have played a significant role in the unequal coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess the socioeconomic inequalities in COVID-19 vaccination coverage in Catalonia, Spain; (2) analyse the spatial variation over time of these inequalities; and (3) assess variations in time and space in the effect of vaccination on inequalities in COVID-19 outcomes.

A mixed longitudinal ecological study design was used.

Catalonia is divided in to 373 Basic Health Areas. Weekly data from these Basic Health Areas were obtained from the last week of December 2020 until the first week of March of 2022. A joint spatio-temporal model was used with the dependent variables of vaccination and COVID-19 outcomes, which were estimated using a Bayesian approach. The study controlled for observed confounders, unobserved heterogeneity, and spatial and temporal dependencies. The study allowed the effect of the explanatory variables on the dependent variables to vary in space and in time.

Areas with lower socioeconomic level were those with the lowest vaccination rates and the highest risk of COVID-19 outcomes. In general, individuals in areas that were located in the upper two quartiles of average net income per person and in the lower two quartiles of unemployment rate (i.e., the least economically disadvantaged) had a higher propensity to be vaccinated than those in the most economically disadvantaged areas. In the same sense, the greater the percentage of the population aged ≥65 years, the higher the propensity to be vaccinated, while areas located in the two upper quartiles of population density and areas with a high percentage of poor housing had a lower propensity to be vaccinated. Higher vaccination rates reduced the risk of COVID-19 outcomes, while COVID-19 outcomes did not influence the propensity to be vaccinated. The effects of the explanatory variables were not the same in all areas or between the different waves of the pandemic, and clusters of excess risk of low vaccination in the most disadvantaged areas were detected.

COVID-19 vaccination inequalities in the most disadvantaged areas could be a result of structural barriers, such as the lack of access to information about the vaccination process, and/or logistical challenges, such as the lack of transportation, limited Internet access or difficulty in scheduling appointments. Public health strategies should be developed to mitigate these barriers and reduce vaccination inequalities.