Vaccine Hesitancy and the Growing Divide

Back to All Thought Leadership

New data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) indicates that the divide between rural and urban areas in COVID-19 primary vaccination coverage has more than doubled in under a year. In April 2021, urban areas had 46% primary vaccination coverage among people aged 5 years and older who received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine during the time period from December 14, 2020 through January 31, 2022, while rural areas hovered around 39%.[1] By January 2022, primary vaccination coverage in urban areas and rural areas increased to approximately 75% and 59%, respectively.[2] In other words, the urban/rural COVID-19 vaccination gap more than doubled in less than a year.