Demographic Characteristics of Persons Vaccinated During the First Month of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program - United States, December 14, 2020-January 14, 2021

In December 2020, two COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) were authorized for emergency use in the United States for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).* Because of limited initial vaccine supply, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) prioritized vacc...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report 2021-02, Vol.70 (5), p.174-177
Main Authors:	Painter, Elizabeth M, Ussery, Emily N, Patel, Anita, Hughes, Michelle M, Zell, Elizabeth R, Moulia, Danielle L, Scharf, Lynn Gibbs, Lynch, Michael, Ritchey, Matthew D, Toblin, Robin L, Murthy, Bhavini Patel, Harris, LaTreace Q, Wasley, Annemarie, Rose, Dale A, Cohn, Amanda, Messonnier, Nancy E
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Adolescent Adult Aged Coronaviruses COVID-19 COVID-19 - epidemiology COVID-19 - prevention & control COVID-19 vaccines COVID-19 Vaccines - administration & dosage Ethnicity - statistics & numerical data Female Full Report Humans Immunization Immunization Programs Long-term care facilities Long-term care of the sick Male Middle Aged Minority & ethnic groups Morbidity Pharmaceutical industry Program Evaluation Racial Groups - statistics & numerical data United States - epidemiology Vaccination Vaccination - statistics & numerical data Young Adult
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	In December 2020, two COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) were authorized for emergency use in the United States for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).* Because of limited initial vaccine supply, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) prioritized vaccination of health care personnel and residents and staff members of long-term care facilities (LTCF) during the first phase of the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program (1). Both vaccines require 2 doses to complete the series. Data on vaccines administered during December 14, 2020-January 14, 2021, and reported to CDC by January 26, 2021, were analyzed to describe demographic characteristics, including sex, age, and race/ethnicity, of persons who received ≥1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine (i.e., initiated vaccination). During this period, 12,928,749 persons in the United States in 64 jurisdictions and five federal entities initiated COVID-19 vaccination. Data on sex were reported for 97.0%, age for 99.9%, and race/ethnicity for 51.9% of vaccine recipients. Among persons who received the first vaccine dose and had reported demographic data, 63.0% were women, 55.0% were aged ≥50 years, and 60.4% were non-Hispanic White (White). More complete reporting of race and ethnicity data at the provider and jurisdictional levels is critical to ensure rapid detection of and response to potential disparities in COVID-19 vaccination. As the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program expands, public health officials should ensure that vaccine is administered efficiently and equitably within each successive vaccination priority category, especially among those at highest risk for infection and severe adverse health outcomes, many of whom are non-Hispanic Black (Black), non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN), and Hispanic persons (2,3).
ISSN:	0149-2195 1545-861X