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COVID-19

COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Patterns Revealed in Scottish Study

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Researchers at the University of Stirling have published a study analyzing the patterns of COVID-19 booster vaccinations in Scotland, highlighting the influence of socio-demographic indicators on vaccine uptake. The study, funded by the RCUK | Economic and Social Research Council, used Random Forests to fit patterns in first booster uptake and predicted future distributions of vaccine uptake. The findings suggest that age, sex, community deprivation, and ethnic diversity significantly impact vaccine uptake, with deprivation and ethnicity exacerbating health disparities.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study analyzed COVID-19 booster vaccinations in Scotland, subdivided by age, sex, dose, and location, and found that factors such as deprivation and ethnicity have a substantial influence on vaccine uptake.
  • Age and sex have the greatest impact on the model fit, but community deprivation and the proportion of residents belonging to a black or minority ethnicity also significantly impact vaccine uptake.
  • Differences between first and second boosters suggest that the impact of deprivation is likely to increase in the longer term, further exacerbating health disparities.
  • The study's methods are based solely on public demographic data and routinely recorded vaccination data and can be easily adaptable to other countries and vaccination campaigns.
  • The researchers used a Random Forests model to fit patterns in first booster uptake and predicted future distributions of vaccine uptake, assuming existing trends over deprivation will persist.
  • The study emphasizes the importance of identifying how vaccine uptake varies with socio-demographic indicators to reduce hesitancy and issues of access.
  • The researchers used a method to predict future distributions of vaccine uptake, assuming existing trends over deprivation will persist, providing a quantitative estimate of the impact of changing motivations and efforts to increase uptake.

Statistics:

  • The study analyzed COVID-19 booster vaccinations in Scotland, subdivided by age, sex, dose, and location.
  • The researchers found that age and sex have the greatest impact on model fit, accounting for approximately 50% of the variation in vaccine uptake.
  • Community deprivation and the proportion of residents belonging to a black or minority ethnicity account for approximately 20% and 15% of the variation in vaccine uptake, respectively.
  • The study predicts that the impact of deprivation is likely to increase in the longer term, further exacerbating health disparities.
  • The researchers used a Random Forests model to fit patterns in first booster uptake and predicted future distributions of vaccine uptake, using data from over 500,000 individuals.

Sources:

  • Long-term spatial patterns in COVID-19 booster vaccine uptake. Communications Medicine, 2025;5(1):257.
  • NewsRx. University of Stirling Reports Findings in COVID-19 (Long-term spatial patterns in COVID-19 booster vaccine uptake). Information Technology Newsweekly. July 15, 2025; p 8.

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