Human Papillomavirus Vaccinations During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Middle Schools in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

This quasi-experimental study (a community-based, physician-led human papillomavirus [HPV] education campaign and school-based vaccination program) followed 6481 students at eight Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Rio Grande Valley, Texas) middle schools between August 2016 and March 2021. We describe the successes and challenges experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. HPV vaccine initiation and completion rates increased 1.29-fold and 1.47-fold, respectively, between June 2019 and March 2021. Between March 2020 and March 2021, 268 HPV vaccine doses were provided through 24 school-based interventions. Our program continued successes seen in increasing HPV vaccination rates and reducing possible HPV-associated cancers. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(9):1269-1272. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306970).