Getting a Flu Vaccine During the Pandemic Often Hinged on Mandates, Prior Status and COVID Severity

Vaccine mandates do play a significant role in boosting vaccination rates. This was particularly true during the 2020-2021 influenza season according to the study “Vaccine Mandates and Influenza Vaccination During the Pandemic.” Authors of the study, published in the November 2023 issue of Pediatrics (published online Oct. 10), assessed influenza vaccination data using insurance claims for children ages 6 months to 18 years living in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. They found during the pandemic, a flu vaccination mandate for children in school was associated with higher vaccination rates, particularly for those who were not previously vaccinated. The story is different for families who vaccinated their children in years prior and who lived in areas with elevated COVID-19 numbers during the 2020-2021 influenza season. These children had a lower predicted probability of receiving a flu vaccine. Possible reasons include avoiding in-person clinic visits based on fear of COVID-19 exposure, the inability to schedule appointments due to limited availability of in-person office visits, or a lack of options for a vaccination because school services shut down with the switch to remote learning. Researchers say understanding how the COVID-19 response and mandate policies affected changes in decision making about influenza vaccination, particularly for previously unvaccinated children, may aid in the development of future strategies to increase youth vaccination rates for flu and other infectious diseases like COVID-19.

###

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.