Background: This study aimed to explore differences in users of a COVID-19 mobile vaccine van service and users of a COVID-19 static vaccination hub, and the impact of changes in national COVID-19 vaccine policy on vaccine uptake.
Methods: The age distribution of male and female service users in each service was compared. The average number of vaccines administered per hour per week was analysed.
Results: Females aged 80-89 represented 51.9% (95% CI 49.5-54.3%) of female vaccine van users compared with 2.8% (95% CI 2.5-3.1%) of female static hub users. The static hub had significantly greater proportions of female service users in all other age brackets.For males, the greatest difference was in those aged 70-79 who represented 29.8% (95% CI 27-32.6%) of vaccine van users and 16.6% (95% CI 16-17.2%) static hub users.Fewer vaccines were administered 2-3 weeks before the COVID-19 autumn booster policy change compared with 2-3 weeks after; 1.92 versus 6.25 vaccines per hour, respectively (Mann-Whitney U = 7, n1 = 11, n2 = 8, P < 0.01 two-tailed).
Conclusions: These findings suggest that a mobile vaccine van service is an effective model for increasing COVID-19 vaccination uptake in elderly residents, particularly after a national policy change.
Keywords: COVID-19; immunization; vaccination.
© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.