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This study provides an updated and expanded analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine vaccinations across the life-course in the United States. Routine wellness visits and vaccination rates were calculated using structured claims data for each month during the impact period (January 2020 to August 2022) and compared to the respective baseline period (January 2018 to December 2019). Monthly rates were aggregated as annual accumulated and cumulative percent changes. The complete monthly rate interactive dataset can be viewed at . The greatest decrease in annual accumulated administration rates in the 0–2 and 4–6 years age groups was for the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine; for adolescents and older adults, it was for human papillomavirus and pneumococcal vaccines, respectively. Routine in-person wellness visit rates recovered faster and more completely than vaccination rates in all age groups, indicating potential missed opportunities to administer vaccines during visits. This updated analysis reveals that the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine vaccination continued through 2021 and into 2022. Proactive efforts to reverse this decline are needed to increase individual- and population-level vaccination coverage and avoid the associated preventable morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the need for controlling access to personal medical information related to medicine due to the potential of other individuals and organizations to abuse the information disclosed. Topics discussed includes the protection of private health data on the Web, the case law interpreting the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the supreme court case Boyd v. United States related to the same.

Background: Healthcare providers' (HCPs') beliefs and practices regarding vaccination influence vaccine acceptance in patients., Objective: To describe HCPs' beliefs and practices regarding vaccines and perceptions of patient perspectives related to vaccine hesitancy., Methods: This was a non-interventional, cross-sectional, online survey administered to 1213 HCPs based in the United States from December 2021 through January 2022. HCPs provided responses regarding their demographic and professional characteristics, beliefs about vaccine safety and effectiveness, vaccination practices, and their views regarding patients' willingness to receive vaccination., Results: Study participants included doctors (55.4 %); physician assistants (11.2 %); pharmacists (11.7 %); nurse practitioners (11.1 %); and registered nurses (10.6 %) from across the United States (West, 35.6 %; Midwest, 27.0 %; South, 25.6 %; Northeast, 11.9 %). HCPs belonged to group practices or clinics (34.5 %), private practices (31.9 %), hospital-based practices (21.9 %), or pharmacies (11.7 %). Most HCPs strongly believed it was their duty to promote vaccination (78.1 %) and used in-person conversations to educate patients about vaccines (85.0 %); 95.1 % had been vaccinated against COVID-19. HCPs reported that 54.9 % of patients accept all vaccines without hesitation, 21.0 % accept all vaccines but hesitate, 16.8 % accept only select vaccines, and 7.2 % reject all vaccines. Reasons commonly cited by patients for being hesitant to accept vaccines or refusal included negative media (hesitancy: 64.6 %; refusal: 73.2 %), the influence of friends or family (hesitancy: 60.5 %; refusal: 68.7 %), distrust of the government (hesitancy: 45.8 %; refusal: 68.4 %), concerns over long-term side effects (hesitancy: 56.1 %; refusal: 68.3 %), and worries about vaccine-related autism or infertility (hesitancy: 49.7 %; refusal: 71.9 %). HCPs reported that the largest contributors to vaccine misinformation among patients were social media (91.0 %), celebrities/TV personalities (63.5 %), and mass media (61.1 %)., Conclusions: Despite most HCPs being active proponents of vaccination, misconceptions about vaccination and vaccine hesitancy persists. Consideration should be given to HCP training to support their efforts to promote vaccine acceptance., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest ALE, AB, AD are current employees of Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, and may hold equity interest in Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA. KM and SD are current employees and dMM is a former employee of Oracle Life Sciences, Oracle Corporation (formerly known as Cerner Enziva), which received research funding from Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA to conduct and report on the study., (Copyright © 2024 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)