Vaccination coverage and delay in vaccination of infants born in 2017 and 2018 in municipalities in the Southern region of Brazil: National Vaccination Coverage Survey 2020

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate vaccination coverage and delay in vaccine dose administration in infants in six municipalities in the Southern region of Brazil. Methodology: National Vaccination Coverage Survey 2020, with infants born alive in 2017 and 2018, carried out from September 2020 to March 2022. Coverage of doses administered, doses administered on time and delay in dose administration were evaluated. Results: For 4681 infants analyzed, coverage for vaccines recommended up to 24 months was 68.0% (95%CI 63.9;71.8%) for doses administered and 3.9% (95%CI 2.7%;5.7%) for doses administered on time. Delay time for the majority of late vaccinations was ≤ 3 months. For some boosters, 25% of vaccine administration was delayed by ≥ 6 months. Conclusion: In addition to tracking vaccine defaulters, strategies are needed to encourage compliance with the vaccination schedule at the recommended ages.