Emory University Details Findings in COVID-19 (Identification of Groups At High Risk for Under-coverage of Seasonal Influenza Vaccination: a National Study To Inform Vaccination Priorities During the Covid-19 Pandemic): Coronavirus – COVID-19

2022 JUN 07 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Vaccine Daily -- Data detailed on Coronavirus - COVID-19 have been presented. According to news originating from Atlanta, Georgia, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Seasonal influenza vaccination is an important public health strategy to reduce preventable illness, hospitalization, and death. Because of overlapping risk factors for severe illness from seasonal in-fluenza and COVID-19, uptake of the seasonal influenza vaccination has heightened importance during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Funders for this research include Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), National Institute of Health Radx-UP.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Emory University, “We analyzed receipt of seasonal influenza vaccination among COVID-19 prior -ity groups and further examined socio-demographic and behavioral factors associated with receiving the seasonal influenza vaccine among US adults. Using the 2018 National Health Interview Survey, we classified 24,772 adults into four COVID-19 priority groups: healthcare workers, medically vulnerable, non-healthcare essential workers, and the general population. We performed multiple logistic regression to compare the relative odds of receiving the influenza vaccine by COVID-19 priority group, socio-demographics, and health-related fac-tors. Healthcare workers, medically vulnerable adults, essential workers, and the general population comprised 8.9%, 58.4%, 6.6%, and 26.1 % of the US population, respectively. Compared with healthcare workers, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of receiving influenza vaccine were significantly lower in medically vulnerable adults (aOR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.37, 0.48), essential workers (aOR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.23, 0.34), and the general population (aOR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.28, 0.37). Being young, male, Black, and having no health insurance were associated with lower relative odds of receiving the flu vaccine. Patterns of influenza vaccine cause concern for under-coverage of populations at high risk for both seasonal influenza and COVID-19.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Achieving optimal protection against vaccine-preventable res-piratory illness in US adults will require emphasis on those employed outside of the healthcare sector, younger age groups, and adults with lower socioeconomic resources.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Identification of Groups At High Risk for Under-coverage of Seasonal Influenza Vaccination: a National Study To Inform Vaccination Priorities During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Annals of Epidemiology, 2022;68:16-23. Annals of Epidemiology can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Annals of Epidemiology - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/annals-of-epidemiology/)

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Shivani A. Patel, Emory University, School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States. Additional authors for this research include Kushagra Vashist and Deasung Choi.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2021.12.008. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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