Primary Care Outreach Boosts COVID-19 Vaccination Rates

WEDNESDAY, June 22, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Primary care provider (PCP) outreach using electronic and mailed messages increases COVID-19 vaccination rates among older Black and Latino adults, according to a study published online June 17 in JAMA Network Open.

Tracy A. Lieu, M.D., M.P.H., from Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland, and colleagues randomly assigned 8,287 Latino and Black individuals (aged 65 years and older) who had not received COVID-19 vaccination to electronic secure message and/or mail outreach from their PCP, similar outreach with additional culturally tailored content, or usual care.

The researchers found that culturally tailored PCP outreach led to higher COVID-19 vaccination rates during follow-up versus usual care (24.0 versus 21.7 percent; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.22), as did standard PCP outreach (23.1 percent; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.17). Vaccination during follow-up was more likely among individuals who were Black (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.19), had high neighborhood deprivation (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.17), and had medium-to-high comorbidity scores (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.19).

"As many adults remain unvaccinated, information and invitations from PCPs and others may continue to play an important role in optimizing vaccination rates," the authors write.

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