Six months after the start of vaccination against Covid-19, social inequalities in relation to infections and hospitalizations due to Covid-19 decreased
A study by IDIAPJGol analyzes possible social inequalities in vaccination against Covid-19 and in infections and hospitalizations due to Covid-19 in Catalonia. The results show lower vaccination rates and higher infection and hospitalization rates in disadvantaged areas of Catalonia in people over 40 years of age.
A team of researchers from IDIAPJGol has carried out a study that analyzes the association between the area of socioeconomic deprivation and vaccination and infection by Covid-19, before and after the launch of the vaccine. Using primary care data from people over 40 years of age residing in urban areas of Catalonia, the probabilities of non-vaccination (at the end of the study) and the risk of infection and hospitalization by Covid-19 three months before and six months were estimated. months after the launch of the vaccine.
Data from more than 2,200,000 people were analyzed
In total, the study included 2,297,146 people. Six months after the launch of the vaccine, vaccination coverage was high, but socioeconomic inequalities were observed. Among people residing in the areas with less deprivation, coverage was 84.6%; On the other hand, in people residing in the areas with the greatest deprivation, that is, the most disadvantaged, the coverage was 76.7%. When analyzing the data by age groups, inequalities in vaccination were observed only among people of active age (40-64 years).
In the months prior to the start of vaccination, a socioeconomic gradient was observed in relation to the risk of infection and hospitalization by Covid-19, with higher rates of infection and hospitalization in areas with greater deprivation. Six months after the start of the vaccination campaign, inequities in the risk of infection by Covid-19 decreased in people of all ages. In the case of hospitalizations, inequities decreased only in people older than 65 years.
The main conclusion of the study is, therefore, that “six months after the start of the vaccination campaign against Covid-19, inequalities in relation to infections and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in Catalonia decreased”, as explained by Elena Roel, the first author of the publication. However, "the inequalities in vaccination observed in people of active age highlight the importance of promoting vaccination in the most disadvantaged groups of the population," as pointed out by Talita Duarte-Salles, coordinator of the study.
Article reference:
Elena Roel, Berta Raventós, Edward Burn, Andrea Pistillo, Daniel Prieto-Alhambra, Talita Duarte-Salles
