The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus resulted in a health and economic crisis worldwide. Although everyone is susceptible to COVID-19, the elderly have compromised immune systems and often suffer from chronic underlying diseases, which makes them more vulnerable. This study aims to assess variation in COVID-19 vaccine distribution patterns across different age groups in European countries and to understand the extent to which European countries have prioritized vulnerable age groups (age > 70) in their vaccination programs. The study utilized open data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and employed an observational, retrospective study design to examine the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine among various age groups in several European countries from September 2021 to September 2023. Results reveal that vaccination rates increase with age, peaking at the 25 - 49 age group (1.34 × 10？4), after which there was a decline in vaccination rate. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to investigate the equality of vaccination rates across the 29 countries in Europe, which resulted in a p-value of <0.05 for both sources of variation (age group interval and countries). This study shows a low coverage of COVID-19 vaccination for the prioritized age group (>70) during the study period as no country achieved the 70% coverage aimed by WHO. Continuous efforts must be made to ensure larger coverage of COVID-19 vaccination among this vulnerable population in order to protect them from severe outcomes in this region.
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