COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake Among Individuals With Immune-mediated Inflammatory Diseases in Ontario, Canada, Between December 2020 and October 2021: A Population-based Analysis

Objective. We assessed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine uptake among individuals with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) and the Ontario general population. Methods. We studied all residents aged >= 16 years who were alive and enrolled in the Ontario Health Insurance Plan as of December 14, 2020, when vaccination commenced (n = 12,435,914). Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), psoriasis (PsO), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were identified using established disease-specific case definitions applied to health administrative data. Vaccination status was extracted from the provincial COVaxON registry. Weekly cumulative proportions of first and second doses up until October 3, 2021, were expressed as the vaccinated percentage of each disease group, compared to the general Ontario population, and stratified by age. Results. By October 3, 2021, the cumulative percentage with at least 1 dose was 82.1% for the general population, 88.9% for those with RA, 87.4% for AS, 90.6% for PsA, 87.3% for PsO, and 87.0% for IBD. There was also a higher total cumulative percentage with 2 doses among IMIDs (83.8-88.2%) vs the general population (77.9%). The difference was also evident when stratifying by age. Individuals with IMIDs in the youngest age group initially had earlier uptake than the general population but remain the lowest age group with 2 doses (70.6% in the general population vs. 73.7-79.2% across IMID groups). Conclusion. While implementation of COVID-19 vaccination programs has differed globally, these Canadian estimates are the first to reassuringly show higher COVID-19 vaccine uptake among individuals with IMIDs.

Automated summary

This study assessed the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among individuals with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) and the general population in Ontario. The results showed that IMID patients had higher vaccination rates compared to the general population, particularly among those with stronger immune responses.