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Volume 10
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Article

Routine Immunization Programs for Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ecuador, 2020—Hidden Effects, Predictable Consequences

by
Gianina Lizeth Suárez-Rodríguez
1,2,
José Salazar-Loor
1,3,
Jackson Rivas-Condo
4,
Alfonso J. Rodríguez-Morales
5,6,
Juan-Carlos Navarro
1,2 and
José Rubén Ramírez-Iglesias
1,2,*
1
Research Group of Emerging and Neglected Diseases, Ecoepidemiology and Biodiversity, Health Sciences Faculty, Universidad Internacional SEK (UISEK), Quito 170120, Ecuador
2
Program of Master in Biomedicine, Health Sciences Faculty, Universidad Internacional SEK (UISEK), Quito 170120, Ecuador
3
Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Universidad Internacional SEK (UISEK), Quito 170120, Ecuador
4
Secretaría de Salud del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito, Quito 170136, Ecuador
5
Grupo de Investigación Biomedicina, Faculty of Medicine, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas, Pereira 660001, Risaralda, Colombia
6
Program of Master in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima 150142, Peru
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Vaccines 2022, 10(6), 857; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10060857
Submission received: 1 April 2022 / Revised: 15 May 2022 / Accepted: 17 May 2022 / Published: 27 May 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology, Vaccination and Public Health)
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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global disruption of several services, including routine immunizations. This effect has been described in several countries, but there are few detailed studies in Latin America and no reports in Ecuador. Therefore, this work aims to quantify the reduction in routine immunizations for infants during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador. 2018, 2019, and 2020 data were obtained from the Ministry of Health, Ecuador. The number of doses and the extent of immunization coverage was descriptively compared for four vaccines: rotavirus (ROTA), poliovirus (PV), pneumococcal (PCV), and pentavalent (PENTA) vaccines. There was no significant difference in doses applied during the 2018 and 2019 years. However, a significant (p < 0.05) drop of 137,000 delivered doses was observed in 2020 compared to the pre-pandemic years. Reductions in the percentage of coverage were more pronounced for the PENTA vaccine (17.7%), followed by PV (16.4%), ROTA (12%), and PCV vaccines (10.7%). Spatial analysis shows a severe impact on vaccination coverage on provinces from the Coast and Highland regions of the country. The pandemic has significantly impacted the immunization programs for infants across Ecuador. This retrospective analysis shows an urgent need to protect vulnerable zones and populations during public health emergencies.
Keywords: routine immunization; vaccination; infants; pandemic; COVID19; preventable diseases routine immunization; vaccination; infants; pandemic; COVID19; preventable diseases

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MDPI and ACS Style

Suárez-Rodríguez, G.L.; Salazar-Loor, J.; Rivas-Condo, J.; Rodríguez-Morales, A.J.; Navarro, J.-C.; Ramírez-Iglesias, J.R. Routine Immunization Programs for Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ecuador, 2020—Hidden Effects, Predictable Consequences. Vaccines 2022, 10, 857. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10060857

AMA Style

Suárez-Rodríguez GL, Salazar-Loor J, Rivas-Condo J, Rodríguez-Morales AJ, Navarro J-C, Ramírez-Iglesias JR. Routine Immunization Programs for Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ecuador, 2020—Hidden Effects, Predictable Consequences. Vaccines. 2022; 10(6):857. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10060857

Chicago/Turabian Style

Suárez-Rodríguez, Gianina Lizeth, José Salazar-Loor, Jackson Rivas-Condo, Alfonso J. Rodríguez-Morales, Juan-Carlos Navarro, and José Rubén Ramírez-Iglesias. 2022. "Routine Immunization Programs for Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ecuador, 2020—Hidden Effects, Predictable Consequences" Vaccines 10, no. 6: 857. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10060857

APA Style

Suárez-Rodríguez, G. L., Salazar-Loor, J., Rivas-Condo, J., Rodríguez-Morales, A. J., Navarro, J.-C., & Ramírez-Iglesias, J. R. (2022). Routine Immunization Programs for Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ecuador, 2020—Hidden Effects, Predictable Consequences. Vaccines, 10(6), 857. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10060857

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