Background: Using data from the Rhode Island immunization registry from January 2019 through September 2022, we assessed whether adolescent routine vaccination rates are catching up on losses experienced early in the pandemic.
Methods: For Q1 2020-Q3 2022, we calculated the number of adolescents ages 11-18 receiving a routine vaccine as a percentage of the same quarter in 2019 along with the cumulative difference through Q3 2022. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine trends were further stratified by racial/ethnic identity and by sex.
Results: Except for Q1 2021, the number of adolescents receiving each vaccine in each calendar quarter since Q1 2020 was below 100% of the same quarter in 2019, resulting in cumulative "losses" or "deficits" relative to pre-pandemic numbers.
Conclusions: We describe ways Rhode Island can expand on its existing partnerships between primary care providers, public health, and schools to address the decline in adolescent routine vaccination.
Keywords: HPV vaccine; Immunizations; adolescent preventive care; adolescents.