Might COVID-19 vaccination adverse events affect routine vaccination adherence?

  • VICTOR O. KOLADE, Internist, THE GUTHRIE CLINIC
  • Other Contributors:
    • Rebecca E. Marcus, Student, Binghamton University
22 January 2022

This report by Skolnik et al. (1) is concerning, yet plausible given the reduction in in-person ambulatory visits during the COVID-19 pandemic (2). Among a subset of patients who had either in-person or telemedicine visits in November-December 2020, we found a net shift in intent to receive influenza vaccination for the 2020-2021 influenza season (3), which mirrored nationwide estimates among adults (4). However, our survey ran in tandem with the introduction of vaccines against COVID-19 in the United States, and the effect of that ongoing vaccination program on routine vaccination against influenza and other vaccine preventable disease is not known. Will persons who experienced significant adverse events to COVID-19 vaccines reduce their adherence to other vaccine schedules?
References
1. Skolnik A, Bhatti A, Larson A, Mitrovich R. Silent Consequences of COVID-19: Why It's Critical to Recover Routine Vaccination Rates Through Equitable Vaccine Policies and Practices. Ann Fam Med. 2021 Nov-Dec;19(6):527-531. doi: 10.1370/afm.2730.
2. Gorin SNS, Jimbo M, Heizelman R, Harmes KM, Harper DM. The future of cancer screening after COVID-19 may be at home. Cancer. 2021 Feb 15;127(4):498-503. doi: 10.1002/cncr.33274. Erratum in: Cancer. 2021 Nov 15;127(22):4315.
3. Marcus RE, Kolade VO. Influenza Vaccination During COVID-19 in a Rural Community: A Cross-sectional Survey. J Community Health. 2021 Oct 13:1–6. doi: 10.1007/s10900-021-01036-6.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu vaccination coverage, United States, 2020–21 influenza season. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/coverage-2021estimates.htm. Accessed January 16, 2022.

Competing Interests: None declared.
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