Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Early impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and physical distancing measures on routine childhood vaccinations in England, January to April 2020

  • Helen I. McDonald
  • , Elise Tessier
  • , Joanne M. White
  • , Matthew Woodruff
  • , Charlotte Knowles
  • , Chris Bates
  • , John Parry
  • , Jemma L. Walker
  • , J. Anthony Scott
  • , Liam Smeeth
  • , Joanne Yarwood
  • , Mary Ramsay
  • , Michael Edelstein
  • Nihr Health Protection Research Unit in Vaccines and Immunisation
  • London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • UK Health Security Agency
  • Phoenix Partnership (TPP) (Leeds) Ltd

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

232 Scopus citations

Abstract

Using electronic health records, we assessed the early impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on routine childhood vaccination in England by 26 April 2020. Measles-mumps-rubella vaccination counts fell from February 2020, and in the 3 weeks after introduction of physical distancing measures were 19.8% lower (95% confidence interval: −20.7 to −18.9) than the same period in 2019, before improving in mid-April. A gradual decline in hexavalent vaccination counts throughout 2020 was not accentuated by physical distancing.

Original languageEnglish
JournalEurosurveillance
Volume25
Issue number19
DOIs
StatePublished - 14 May 2020
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). All rights reserved.

Funding

Funding: The research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Immunisation at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in partnership with Public Health England (PHE). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, the Department of Health and Social Care, or PHE.

Funders
Health Protection Research Unit
National Institute for Health Research
Department of Health and Social Care
Public Health England

    UN SDGs

    This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

    1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
      SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Early impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and physical distancing measures on routine childhood vaccinations in England, January to April 2020'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this