COVID-19 vaccination coverage for half a million non-EU migrants and refugees in England

Rachel Burns*, Sacha Wyke, Max T. Eyre, Yamina Boukari, Tina B. Sørensen, Camille Tsang, Colin N.J. Campbell, Sarah Beale, Dominik Zenner, Sally Hargreaves, Ines Campos-Matos, Katie Harron, Robert W. Aldridge

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Despite evidence suggesting that some migrants are at risk of under-immunization and have experienced severe health inequities during the pandemic, data are limited on migrants’ COVID-19 vaccine coverage globally. Here we linked data from non-European Union migrants and resettled refugees to the national COVID-19 vaccination dataset in England. We estimated patterns in second and third dose delays and overdue doses between 12 December 2020 and 20 April 2022 by age, visa type and ethnicity. Of the 465,470 linked records, 91.8% (427,073/465,470) of migrants received a second dose and 51.3% (238,721/465,470) received a third. Refugees had the highest risk of delayed second (adjusted odds ratio 1.66; 95% confidence interval 1.55–1.79) and third dose (1.55; 1.43–1.69). Black migrants were twice as likely to have a second dose delayed (2.37; 2.23–2.54) than white migrants, but this trend reversed for the third dose. Older migrants (>65 years) were four times less likely to have received their second or third dose compared with the general population in England aged >65 or older. Policymakers, researchers and practitioners should work to understand and address personal and structural barriers to vaccination for diverse migrant populations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)288-299
Number of pages12
JournalNature Human Behaviour
Volume8
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023. corrected publication 2024.

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