Abstract
Background: Disruptions to essential health care services such as routine childhood immunization occurred during the COVID-19 pandemics. This study aimed to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the coverage of routine childhood immunizations for children ages 0 to 12 months in the Nkomazi municipality at Ehlanzeni District of Mpumalanga province during the pandemic phase.
Method: A retrospective observational quantitative study was conducted focusing on medical records of children aged 0 to 12 months who visited primary health care facilities in Nkomazi Local Municipality in Ehlanzeni District for well-baby clinics from 01 April 2020 and 30 September 2020 and 01 April 2019 to 30 September 2019 which were used to create both cohorts. A self-designed data abstraction tool was used to extract data from the District Information Health System (DHIS) of the Mpumalanga Department of Health, Nkomazi sub-district PHC facilities data.
Results: SPSS version 29 was used to capture and analyse the data, and descriptive statistics was done for the categorical variables. Inferential statistics was also done and paired sample t-test was chosen as the method for analysis as this test allowed a comparison of variables separated by time, graphs and tables which were computed. The lowest coverage on immunization was on measles vaccine for both study cohorts in April 2019 (m= -19.8, SD = 16.7 t (31) = -6.706, p < 0.001) and in April 2020 (m= -16.1, SD = 1.61 t (19) = -4.773, p < 0.001). Less children received the PCV dose during pandemic phase (m -18.2, SD = 16.7 t (31) = -6.182 p < 0.001 compared to PCV vaccine coverage before COVID-19 pandemic (m =-21.0, SD = 16.4 t(31) = -7.528, p < 0.001 . A high increase on immunization coverage was noted on the Rotavirus dose for the pandemic phase (m= -52.8, SD = 173.3 t (31) = -1.724, p <.047, however these results were not statistically significant as the p value was above 0.05.
Conclusions: No significant change was noted on immunization coverage before and during COVID-19 pandemic, but low coverage was evident on some vaccine types, so there is a need for primary health care facilities to conduct vaccine catch-up strategies.
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KEYWORDS: COVID-19; Immunization coverage; Impact; Lockdown; Pandemic phase; Pre-COVID-19; Vaccine