CDC Urges Pharmacies to Provide More Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccines

Atlanta—Without question, pharmacies have played a key role in expanding access to COVID-19 vaccines because of their availability and extended hours of operation. What was slightly unexpected is that pharmacists have provided a substantial portion of vaccines to children as well as adults.

Research earlier this year found that 46.4% of COVID-19 pediatric vaccine doses were administered in pharmacies. In a new article in the Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, the researchers from the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service stated that statistic indicated that pharmacy vaccine providers are acceptable to many parents. "Strategies to improve vaccination coverage among children aged 5-11 years could include encouraging interactions between pharmacy staff members and parents around COVID-19 vaccination," they wrote.

The study pointed out that—although COVID-19 vaccination has been recommended for children aged 5 to 11 years since November 2021—coverage among this age group remains low. That is especially consequential now that vaccination has been extended to include children aged as young as 6 months.

In terms of the 5- to 11-year age group, the article noted that by April 25, 2022, most U.S. counties had a pharmacy or public health clinic offering COVID-19 vaccines to those children, but fewer had a pediatric clinic, family medicine clinic, or federally qualified health center where vaccines were available.

"The availability of each provider type was associated with higher county-level vaccination coverage among children aged 5-11 years," according to the report, which added, "Ensuring broad access to COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to other strategies to address vaccination barriers, could help increase vaccination coverage among children aged 5-11 years."

In other words, the data suggested that some parents and caregivers prefer to have their child vaccinated in a primary care facility, such as a pediatrician's office.

The CDC reported that as of June 7, 2022, 36% of children aged 5 to 11 years in the U.S. had received one or more COVID-19 vaccines, with the availability of vaccine providers a factor influencing that.

To improve understanding of how provider availability has affected COVID-19 vaccination coverage among children aged 5 to 11 years, the CDC analyzed data on active COVID-19 vaccine providers and county-level vaccine administration data from November 1, 2021, to April 25, 2022.

The results of the data indicated that—among 2,586 U.S. counties included in the analysis—87.5% had at least one active COVID-19 vaccine provider serving children aged 5 to 11 years.

Among the five assessed active provider types, most counties had at least one pharmacy (69.1%) or public health clinic (61.3%). It was far less common, however, to have at least one pediatric clinic (29.7%), family medicine clinic (29.0%), or federally qualified health center (FQHC) (22.8%).

Noting that median county-level vaccination coverage overall was 14.5% (IQR = 8.9%-23.6%), the researchers report that after adjusting for social vulnerability index and urbanicity, vaccination coverage among children aged 5 to 11 years was higher in counties with at least one active COVID-19 vaccine provider than in counties with no active providers (adjusted rate ratio [aRR] = 1.66).

More than one-half (1,322; 51.1%) of counties had no pediatric clinic, family medicine clinic, or FQHC. Most had at least one active provider (87.5%), which is usually a pharmacy or health clinic.

"For each provider type, presence of at least one provider in the county was associated with higher coverage; the largest difference in vaccination coverage was observed between counties with and without pediatric clinics (aRR = 1.37)," the authors pointed out. "Ensuring broad access to COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to other strategies to address vaccination barriers, could help increase vaccination coverage among children aged 5-11 years."

COVID-19 vaccine providers to children aged 5 to 11 years were mainly concentrated in parts of the Northeast, Midwest, and several counties in the West, the CDC noted.

"Although most counties had at least one active COVID-19 vaccine provider serving children aged 5-11 years, approximately one-half of counties did not have an active pediatric clinic, family medicine clinic, or FQHC," the researchers advised. "This gap in access to COVID-19 vaccines through providers that serve as a medical home for routine pediatric care has important implications for COVID-19 vaccination coverage. Survey data have indicated that pediatricians are among the most trusted sources of reliable information about COVID-19 vaccines. Furthermore, among provider types included in this report, the availability of pediatric clinics was associated with the largest difference in vaccination coverage. Lack of access to a pediatrician or other regular health care provider that administers COVID-19 vaccines could be a barrier to vaccination for children aged 5-11 years."

The authors added, "In counties without a pediatric clinic, family medicine clinic, or FQHC, access to COVID-19 vaccines was primarily available through pharmacies and public health clinics. Leveraging these alternative vaccine access points is critical to reaching parents and children who remain unvaccinated."

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