Lessons Learned From Human Papillomavirus Vaccination to Increase Uptake of Adolescent COVID-19 Vaccination

Abstract

Uptake of COVID-19 vaccination among adolescents has been low and highly variable across the United States. As of July 2021, the most recently available national data, 42% of adolescents ages 12–17 had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but that percentage varied widely from state to state. Low vaccination rates threaten to prolong the pandemic and pose a health risk to unvaccinated adolescents as well as their families and social networks. To promote COVID-19 vaccinations for adolescents, it will be valuable to explore lessons learned about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in this population. In this commentary, we outline the similarities between the HPV and COVID-19 vaccines and offer three recommendations that can be applied to efforts for adolescent COVID-19 vaccination promotion and delivery