Change in herpes zoster vaccination uptake before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States older adults

Objectives

To examine changes in herpes zoster (HZ) vaccination uptake among older adults in the United States before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and related factors.

Methods

We estimated HZ vaccination uptake before (2018–2019) and during (2020−2022) the COVID-19 pandemic among adults aged ≥50 years using the National Health Interview Survey data. We used log-binomial regression to examine uptake changes with adjustment for and stratification by sociodemographic and health characteristics.

Results

Among 79,786 adults (mean age: 66.4 years; male: 55.6 %), the uptake prevalence increased from 25.1 % before the pandemic to 30.1 % during the pandemic, with a 1.36-fold increase in prevalence (adjusted prevalence ratio: 1.36 [95 % CI: 1.30–1.41]). Such increase was observed across all subgroups, with more prominent increases among adults aged 50–64 years, men, non-Hispanic Black and other ethnicity, those with low household income, from West regions, living with partners, current smokers, received prior flu vaccinations, and those without comorbidities. Despite these increases, the uptake during the pandemic remained significantly lower in these subgroups compared to others.

Conclusions

Although HZ vaccination uptake among older adults increased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before the pandemic, and this increase was more prominent among ethnic minorities, low-income, and obese and smoker groups, uptake remains suboptimal. With the ageing population, ongoing monitoring and better strategies are required to ensure uptake continues to increase.