A population-based paediatric Covid-19 vaccination progress and outcomes: The Malta case

Abstract

Covid-19 is still pandemic with population vaccination, including among children, remaining the mainstay for hastening the exit from the pandemic. The article provides an insight in Malta's national paediatric vaccination modus operandi, vaccination uptake, and epidemiological trends while exploring geographical social inequalities among the≤15years cohort up till end of August 2022. The Vaccination Coordination Unit in Malta's only regional hospital provided an account of the strategic roll-out along with anonymised cumulative vaccination doses by age band and district. Descriptive and multivariant logistic regression analyses were performed. By mid-August 2022, 44.18% of the under 15's population had received at least 1vaccine dose. A bi-directional relationship was observed between increased cumulative vaccination and reported Covid-19 cases until early 2022. Central vaccination hubs were set up with invitation letters and SMSs sent to parents. Children residing in the Southern Harbour district (OR: 0.42, P<0.01) had the highest full vaccination uptake (46.66%) as opposed to the Gozo district (lowest at 27.23%; OR: 0.3, P=0.01). Successful paediatric vaccination is not only dependent on easily accessible vaccination but also on vaccine effectiveness against variants, as well as population characteristics, with potential geographical social inequalities hindering uptake.