
Data collected at the University Hospitals of Cleveland show that overall US vaccination rates for influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) remain below 50%, with Black individuals less likely to be vaccinated than their White peers.
The data were presented this week at IDWeek in Los Angeles, and based on information collected from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), which looks at socioeconomic status, housing, and neighborhood characteristics that can be social determinants of health.
Looking at the Cleveland metropolitan area, the researchers analyzed 341,029 patients who were diagnosed as having acute respiratory infections at University Hospitals of Cleveland between October 2023 and April 2024.
More ED visits in low-income neighborhoods
Black patients were overrepresented as 37% of the patient population, despite making up 14% of Cleveland’s population. Researchers found lower vaccination rates in areas with higher social vulnerability and in predominantly Black neighborhoods but higher emergency department (ED) visits for acute respiratory infections in those areas.
The study’s findings maintain that neighborhood factors and race are significantly associated with vaccination status against common respiratory viruses
"Even when controlling for demographic factors, household income, health insurance coverage and geographic location, the study’s findings maintain that neighborhood factors and race are significantly associated with vaccination status against common respiratory viruses," said Elie Saade, MD, medical director of infection control and quality at University Hospitals of Cleveland, in the news release. "Disparities this vast are not to be overlooked—they require multifaceted interventions that meet people where they are socially and increase access to essential preventive measures."