Vaccination coverage increased in 2022, but still below 2019 levels

Worldwide, there was an increase in immunization during 2022, but coverage was lower than in 2019, according to research published in the Oct. 27 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Gurpreet Kaur, M.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues reviewed trends in World Health Organization and UNICEF immunization coverage estimates at global, regional, and national levels through 2022 and documented progress toward improving immunization coverage relative to the Immunization Agenda 2030.

The researchers found that from 2021 to 2022, worldwide coverage with one or more dose of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-containing vaccine (DTPcv1) increased from 86 to 89%, but remained below the 90% coverage achieved in 2019. There was also an increase seen in estimated DTPcv3 coverage, from 81 to 84%, which remained below the 86% coverage seen in 2019.

Overall, 14.3 million children worldwide were not vaccinated with DTPcv1 in 2022, representing a decrease of 21% from 18.1 million in 2021 and an increase of 11% from 12.9 million in 2019. Of the children who did not receive DTPcv1 in 2022, 84% lived in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

"The disruptions in daily living and health services during the COVID-19 pandemic set back decades of progress in global immunization activities," the authors write. "Urgent action is needed to provide catch-up vaccination to incompletely vaccinated children, restore national vaccination coverage, and strengthen immunization programs to build the resiliency to withstand future public health events."