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UNDERSTANDING DISPARITIES IN VACCINATION RATES
FACULTY Understanding Disparities in Vaccination Rates
Researchers at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics assessed the relationship between COVID-19 inoculation rates and both social vulnerability and vaccine hesitancy to understand the link between these interconnected issues and vaccine uptake.
They found that almost 20% of counties are associated with high levels of both hesitancy and social vulnerability and continue to be most at risk of failing to achieve high vaccination coverage. Their analysis, published in Health Affairs, shows vaccine hesitancy and social vulnerability have independently impacted vaccine rates—an important finding for policymakers who are developing strategies.
By early August, counties with high hesitancy had an average vaccination rate that was 17% lower than counties with low hesitancy, even after adjusting for social vulnerability index (SVI). Meanwhile, disparities between counties with moderate to low SVI and high SVI were relatively smaller but have widened substantially. The coverage difference between low- and high-SVI counties increased from 1.8% in March 2021 to 4.6 % in August 2021.
“Many factors influence why individuals in communities across this country are not getting vaccinated, including general distrust and lack of resources and access,” says John Romley, senior author on the study, associate professor of pharmaceutical and health economics at the School of Pharmacy, and senior fellow at the Schaeffer Center. “Understanding the nuances of these trends and how these two factors interact is important for decision-makers as they consider strategies to encourage boosters or additional vaccines in the future.”