Sociodemographic disparities affect COVID-19 vaccine uptake in non-elderly adults with increased risk of severe COVID-19

Abstract

Background: There is limited information about sociodemographic disparities in COVID-19 vaccine uptake among non-elderly adults with an increased risk of severe COVID-19. We investigated the COVID-19 vaccine uptake in individuals aged 18–64 years with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 (non-elderly risk group) in Stockholm County, Sweden. Method: We used population-based health and sociodemographic registries with high coverage to perform a cohort study of COVID-19 vaccine uptake of one to four doses up until 21 November 2022. The vaccine uptake in the non-elderly risk group was compared with non-risk groups aged 18–64 years (non-elderly non-risk group) and individuals aged ≥65 years (elderly). Results: The uptake of ≥3 vaccine doses was 55%, 64% and 87% in the non-elderly non-risk group (n = 1,005,182), non-elderly risk group (n = 308,904) and elderly (n = 422,604), respectively. Among non-elderly risk group conditions, Down syndrome showed the strongest positive association with receiving three doses (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] 1.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.54–1.71), whereas chronic liver disease showed the strongest negative association (aRR 0.90, 95% CI 0.88–0.92). Higher vaccine uptake among the non-elderly risk group was associated with increasing age, being born in Sweden, higher education, higher income and living in a household where other adults had been vaccinated. Similar trends were observed for the first, second, third and fourth doses. Conclusion: These results call for measures to tackle sociodemographic disparities in vaccination programmes during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.