Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination Disparities by Demographics and Season

Weekly estimates track differences in up-to-date vaccination rates among children aged 6 months to 17 years across demographic groups and flu seasons. Data originates from the CDC's National Immunization Survey-Child COVID Module and its successor, the NIS-Flu, with weekly updates posted through 2026. Parental reports of vaccination receipt form the basis for coverage estimates.

Use Cases

• Identify significant demographic disparities in vaccination coverage by analyzing the `Significant_at_95_pct` flag and `Estimate_Difference` between `Comparison_Group_1` and `Comparison_Group_2`.
• Monitor weekly trends in pediatric vaccination rates over time using the `Week_Ending` and `Current_Season_Week_Ending_Label` columns.
• Assess the precision of estimated differences in coverage by examining the `Difference_Estimate_Lower_95_CI` and `Difference_Estimate_Upper_95_CI` confidence intervals.
• Compare vaccination point estimates for specific demographic groups, such as by age or race, using the `Comparison_Group1_Point_Estimate` and `Comparison_Group2_Point_Estimate` fields.

Strengths

• Estimates include 95% confidence intervals (`Difference_Estimate_Lower_95_CI`, `Difference_Estimate_Upper_95_CI`) for assessing statistical precision.
• Data provides weekly temporal granularity via the `Week_Ending` column, allowing for fine-grained trend analysis.
• Includes a statistical significance flag (`Significant_at_95_pct`) to highlight reliable demographic differences.

Limitations

• All estimates rely on parental report of vaccination, which is subject to recall bias and misreporting.
• Survey methodology changed after 2023 with the discontinuation of NIS-CCM, potentially affecting time-series continuity.
• Data posted on this platform lags behind the CDC's primary Respiratory Illnesses Data Channel by a few days.

Provenance

Source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) via data.cdc.gov.

Collection Method

Data gathered from the National Immunization Survey-Child COVID Module (NIS-CCM) and later the National Immunization Survey-Flu (NIS-Flu), which are national random-digit-dial cellular telephone surveys of households.

Time Range

Weekly data through December 31, 2023, with comparisons to previous flu seasons; dashboard updated through 2026.

Freshness

Data was last updated on March 25, 2026, indicating recent maintenance.

Geography

United States.