State registry data covering 1,747,790 North Carolina children and adolescents aged 3-17 were used to identify where COVID-19 vaccinations were given between January 2021 and June 2023. Pharmacies accounted for 42% of first doses, and the share rose with dose number, reaching 11.8 percentage points above the first-dose share for fourth or later doses. First-dose coverage was 59.1% at ages 12-17, 37.4% at 5-11 and 3.5% at 3-4, and pharmacy use was lower among Black and Hispanic children.
Why it is interesting: Quantifies how much of paediatric vaccination moved outside medical practices, and where that channel reached people unevenly.