Inequities in COVID-19 vaccination coverage for adolescents with and without disability, national immunization Survey–Child COVID module, July 22, 2021–February 26, 2022

Abstract

BackgroundSome people with disabilities are likely at increased risk of health impacts from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). ObjectiveTo describe parent-reported COVID-19 vaccination status of adolescents (aged 13–17 years) and parental intent to get their child vaccinated, among adolescents with versus without disability. MethodsNational Immunization Survey–Child COVID Module data from interviews conducted July 22, 2021–February 26, 2022, were analyzed to assess disability status and type and COVID-19 vaccination status for adolescents (n = 12,445). Prevalence estimates with 95% confidence intervals were calculated; T-tests were conducted. ResultsA lower percentage of adolescents with disability received ≥1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine compared to adolescents without disability (52.5% vs. 58.6%), [those with cognition (50.8%) or not performing errands independently (49.5%) disabilities were significantly lower]; and a higher percentage of parents reported intent to definitely vaccinate (9.9% vs. 6.5%) and definitely not vaccinate (14.9% vs. 11.8%) their adolescent. Among the unvaccinated adolescents, parents of those with disability were more likely to report difficulty getting their child vaccinated (19.1% vs. 12.9%), inconvenient vaccination-site operating hours (7.6% vs. 3.9%), difficulty knowing where to get their child vaccinated (7.2% vs. 2.7%), and difficulty getting to vaccination sites (6.0% vs. 3.0%), than parents of those without disability. ConclusionsAdolescents with disability had lower vaccination coverage compared to adolescents without disability. Parents of adolescents with disability reported higher intent to get their adolescents vaccinated, but among unvaccinated adolescents with disability, parents reported greater difficulty in accessing COVID-19 vaccines. Findings highlight the need for prioritized outreach to increase COVID-19 vaccination for this population.