Comparison of the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the vaccination status of children in years of 2019 and 2020 in Abadan health centers, Iran

Background: Due to the great importance of maintaining vaccination coverage in children, this study examined the delay in vaccination at birth, 2, 4, and 6 months, which has recently decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 213 children in 2 groups in Abadan, Iran in 2020. The children who were born from 21 March to 22 September in the years of 2019 and 2020, were divided into groups of 1 and 2. Then based on demographic data, the delay vaccination was compared between two groups, the data was gained from the Sina system and analyzed by chi-square test. Results: The coverage vaccination decreased during pandemic COVID-19. The percent of no vaccination at birth, 2, 4, and 6 months in 2020 was higher than in 2019, timely vaccination in 2020 was lesser than in 2019 ones. Our data showed that the continuing vaccination depends on the education of parents, age, and weight of the child, but there was no significant association between vaccination and the other demographic variables. Conclusions: Regarding high coverage vaccination in Iran, health officer, and health policy maker should attempt to preserve high immunization coverage during pandemic COVID-19, especially in areas with low literature and crowded families.