Vaccinations & Immunizations

COVID Boosters See More Vaccine Hesitancy Than Flu & RSV Shots

September 29, 2023 - The new COVID-19 booster has decent traction among adults, but many still harbor more vaccine hesitancy and safety concerns for the shot than they do for other vaccinations like the flu and RSV shots, according to KFF data. In the latest COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor, KFF found that 46 percent of adults over age 18 would definitely or probably get the...

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Public Health Messaging on RSV Needs Leg Up for Older Adults

by Sara Heath

Six in 10 adults over age 50 haven’t heard of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, and another 70 percent haven’t heard of the RSV vaccine most experts say could stave off another...

How Pediatricians Can Prepare for the RSV Vaccine Rollout

by Sara Heath

Jonathan Miller, MD, the chief of primary care at Nemours Children’s Health in Delaware, doesn’t think the RSV vaccine rollout is going to go the same as the COVID vaccines for infants and young kids. It’s probably going...

HHS Unveils Plan for COVID-19 Vaccine Access for Uninsured After PHE End

by Sara Heath

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released its plan to maintain COVID-19 vaccine access for the uninsured even after the end of the public health emergency (PHE) in May. The HHS...

Are Patients Receptive to an Annual COVID-19 Booster Shot, Vaccine?

by Sara Heath

Half of adults say they’d get an annual COVID-19 booster shot, not unlike getting their annual flu shot, according to the latest data from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). But still, less...

Patient Portal Messages Need Streamlined Delivery for Patient Activation

by Sara Heath

The patient portal might be too clunky or onerous to be useful in closing care gaps, with new research finding that patient portal messages didn’t do much to get patients in for preventive...

Social Vulnerability to Credit for Many COVID-19 Health Disparities

by Sara Heath

It’s broadly accepted that the COVID-19 pandemic was characterized by stark health disparities, with those experiencing the greatest social vulnerability also seeing the worst pandemic outcomes....

Community Health Partnerships Key to Combatting Vaccine Misinformation

by Sarai Rodriguez

UC Riverside Health experts have proposed that community health partnerships can combat the persistent wave of vaccine misinformation, giving public health officials access to greater public messaging...

Does Peer Pressure Affect Vaccine Acceptance, Hesitancy?

by Sara Heath

All of the reports counting the number of individuals getting the COVID-19 vaccines and boosters may make a difference, with new data from the University of Texas at Austin showing that people are more...

HHS & ACL Slot $125M to Address Flu, COVID-19 Vaccine Access Barriers

by Sarai Rodriguez

The Administration for Community Living (ACL), an agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has released $125 million in funding to address flu and COVID-19 vaccine access...

Vaccine Hesitancy About MMR Shots Becoming More Common

by Sara Heath

The US is experiencing yet another negative byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic, with new surveying from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) showing enhanced vaccine hesitancy among parents of...

Patient-Provider Communication About Vaccines Lacking in Pediatrics

by Sara Heath

Patient-provider communication about vaccines, particularly in the pediatric setting, is falling short, with at least one in seven parents reporting in a recent C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital poll...

What Factors Sway COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Parents of Young Kids?

by Sara Heath

As of July 2022, the US has seen only 3.5 percent of kids ages six months to four years get the COVID-19 shots, underscoring deep COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among parents of young kids. The factors...

Safety Concerns Lead COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Latino Parents

by Sarai Rodriguez

While COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is not a new concept, especially among minorities, Latino parents still hold safety concerns when it comes to vaccinating their children, according to a survey sent to...

Pediatric Vaccination Adherence Hinges on Parental Vaccination Status

by Sarai Rodriguez

A new study from the Oregon Health & Science University suggests that pediatric vaccination adherence is strongly related to parental vaccination status. These findings may be an answer to quell...

Was Medical Misinformation The Culprit of Low COVID Vax Uptake?

by Sara Heath

Medical misinformation, not lapses in patient trust, may have been behind initially low COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Black and Hispanic individuals, according to DePaul University researchers who said...

Public Health Messaging, Equity Key to Getting Flu Shots in Arms

by Sara Heath

The US will need to leverage strong public health messaging if it plans to increase rates of flu shots and combat the racial health disparities in flu vaccination and hospitalization that has plagued...

Community Health Centers Played Critical Role in COVID-19 Response

by Sarai Rodriguez

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, community health centers have been on the frontlines delivering equitable care to historically underserved populations. An announcement from the National...

FQHCs Remain Instrumental in Health Equity, COVID-19 Efforts

by Sara Heath

Federally qualified health centers continue to prove pivotal at supporting health equity, with the latest data from the Boston University School of Public Health showing FQHCs were disproportionately...

Would COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Improve Vaccine Access?

by Sara Heath

More than 50 percent of Americans view COVID-19 vaccine mandates in educational settings favorably, giving credence to what could be an effective policy lever for supporting COVID-19 vaccine access and...