Research Letter: Association of Primary Care Physicians Per Capita With COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Among US Counties

COVID-19 vaccines have helped slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the US. However, maximal population uptake of vaccines has been hindered by vaccine hesitancy. Greater participation of primary care physicians (PCPs) in vaccine distribution has been proposed as a strategy to combat vaccine hesitancy. Survey data suggest that a substantial portion of the unvaccinated population would be willing to get vaccinated if they had greater access to accurate information and receive encouragement from a trusted source. Primary care physicians can reach such individuals through direct engagement or alliances with community health workers, community centers, and mass-vaccination sites. Therefore, we sought to examine the association of the number of PCPs per capita with COVID-19 vaccination rates among US counties.