Lessons Learned From Adolescent COVID-19 Vaccine Administration in Medically Underserved Communities

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Vaccinology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• The Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program (HCCVP) was initiated in May 2021 to support adolescent vaccination.
• The program aimed to facilitate a safe return to in-person learning for children and adolescents, particularly those from medically underserved communities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the number of COVID-19 vaccines administered to adolescents (12-17 years) by the HCCVP nationally and by state.
• To examine the challenges and solutions encountered during the initial implementation of adolescent vaccine deployment.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from the Health Center COVID-19 Survey (May 14-August 27, 2021) on vaccine administration, challenges, and solutions.
• Utilization of 2019 Uniform Data System data for patient demographics.
• Inclusion of national adolescent COVID-19 vaccination and population data from CDC's COVID Data Tracker and US Census Bureau's 2019 Current Population Survey.

Main Results:

• Over 485,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered to adolescents through the HCCVP during the study period.
• Significant variations in vaccination numbers were observed across states.
• Health centers in 13 states and territories vaccinated a higher proportion of adolescents than their pre-pandemic patient share.
• Primary challenges reported were vaccine confidence and staffing availability.

Conclusions:

• Health centers demonstrated a rapid response in administering COVID-19 vaccines to adolescents in the initial months.
• Several states saw health centers extend their reach beyond their existing patient base to bolster state-level pandemic response efforts.
• Further research is recommended to optimize the strategic deployment of health centers during public health emergencies.