Peer-reviewed article
Possible Changes and Trends in Non-COVID-19 Vaccine-Prescribing Patterns before and during COVID-19 Pandemic.
van Rooyen S, Lubbe M, Kotze I, Motaze NV ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how childhood vaccination patterns changed in South Africa's private healthcare sector before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers analysed medicine claims data from over 67,000 children aged two years and younger, comparing 2018-2019 with 2020-2021. The proportion of children receiving non-COVID vaccines dropped from 60% before the pandemic to 55% during it, with notable declines in first-year measles vaccination rates. The study highlights that pharmacists were the main vaccine providers in private healthcare and calls for catch-up vaccination campaigns.
Key points
- Vaccination coverage in private healthcare decreased from 60% (2018-2019) to 55% (2020-2021)
- Measles vaccination rates declined by 5% during children's first year of life during the pandemic
- Measles, hepatitis A, and pentavalent vaccine rates increased by 5-7.7% during the second year of life
- Pharmacists were the predominant vaccine prescribers before and during the pandemic
- Catch-up vaccination campaigns are needed to address missed vaccination opportunities
Limitations
The study covers only the private healthcare sector in South Africa and does not provide data on vaccination patterns in the public healthcare sector, limiting understanding of coverage across the entire child population. The analysis is cross-sectional comparing two time periods and cannot establish causation for the observed changes.
Abstract
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many children missed their routine vaccinations globally. There is insufficient evidence on the trends in vaccination coverage in the private healthcare sector in South Africa. This study explored the changes in childhood vaccination patterns (non-COVID vaccines) in the private healthcare sector in South Africa using medicine claim data. Using the information on medication claims from a South African pharmaceutical benefit management (PBM) company, we performed a quantitative cross-sectional analysis comparing the period before (2018-2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021). All patients who made claims within the study period were included. This study included 67,830 children aged two years and younger. In particular, from 2018 to 2021, boys (52%) outnumbered girls (48%). Pharmacists consistently held the predominant prescriber role before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The proportion of children receiving non-COVID-19 vaccines was higher before the pandemic (60%) than during the pandemic (55%). Furthermore, there was a notable decline of 5% in measles vaccination rates during the children's first year of life, while a notable increase was observed for measles (5%), hepatitis A (7.7%), and the pentavalent vaccine (5%) during the second year of life. Governments and private healthcare providers must take action to enhance vaccination coverage rates for children in their first year of life to prevent a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases. The results obtained in this study underscore the significance of implementing vaccine catch-up campaigns to address missed vaccination opportunities arising from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, pharmacists emerged as the predominant healthcare providers responsible for administering vaccinations within the private healthcare sector in South Africa, both prior and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their pivotal role in the vaccination process warrants due recognition and should not be underestimated.