Trends, regional variation, and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 vaccine recipients: a retrospective cohort study in 23.4 million patients using OpenSAFELY
This research, not yet peer reviewed, found as of 13th Jan, the proportion of over-80s (not in a care home) who had received the Covid-19 vaccine in England varied by ethnicity (42.5% White, 20.5% Black) and deprivation ranking (least deprived 44.7%, most deprived 37.9%).
Source:
MedRxiv
SPS commentary:
The study also found that patients with pre-existing medical conditions were equally likely, or more likely, to have received a vaccine across most co-morbidity groups with two exceptions: severe mental illness (30.3% vaccinated) and learning disability (28.1%).
The researchers acknowledge that this is preliminary data from the vaccination programme and that ‘thoughtful interpretation’ is required to support the rapidly evolving campaign, but suggest based on their findings that targeted activity may be required to address the lower vaccination rates observed among ethnic minorities, people living in areas of higher deprivation, and those with severe mental illness or learning disabilities.