A new PIVI analysis demonstrates the unique value of seasonal flu vaccination programs among health workers in bolstering global pandemic preparedness. This analysis, which was presented at OPTIONS, with additional data forthcoming—focused on the preparedness of low- and middle-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers found that countries with existing flu vaccination programs for health workers were able to vaccinate their populations more quickly, had fewer logistic and programmatic problems, and ultimately had higher vaccination rates, compared with countries without pre-existing flu programs.
60 low- and middle-income countries were included in the study sample and represented all regions of the world. Of those, about 40% had well-established flu vaccination programs for health workers prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
These data show that existing flu vaccination programs impacted a country’s readiness in various ways and extended to most aspects of vaccine rollout. Researchers looked at several different factors, including:
Timeliness of vaccine introduction: Countries with existing flu vaccination programs were more likely to begin vaccinating within the early months of global delivery, while those countries without existing programs lagged behind.
COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Over Time
Logistic and programmatic factors: Other aspects of a successful vaccination program include supply chain, regulatory readiness, planning, waste management, and program monitoring and evaluation. In these cases, many of the countries with existing flu programs, repurposed processes and plans from their existing flu platforms to build their COVID-19 vaccination programs, which led to fewer issues relating to cold chain, shipping delays, and regulatory obstacles.
Acceptability of vaccines and vaccine coverage: Health workers in countries with flu vaccination programs were more likely to be open to COVID-19 vaccination, including believing in the effectiveness of vaccination and its importance. Demand was also often higher among the general population in these countries. Finally, countries with previous flu vaccination programs achieved higher COVID-19 vaccine coverage and achieved those levels more quickly, compared with their counterparts without existing programs. After one year, COVID-19 vaccine coverage was 17% higher in countries with existing flu programs.
During a pandemic, strong vaccination programs are critically important in protecting people against hospitalization and death. These data, which is forthcoming, adds to previous research that suggests that flu vaccination programs can improve global response to pandemics and improve overall readiness. Flu vaccination programs are critical for global vaccination capacity to ensure preparedness for future pandemic threats.