The past three years have been transformative for the vaccine industry. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how vulnerable we are without protection against disease and reminded us of the power of vaccines. On a global scale, the game-changing development of vaccines had significant health and economic impacts with the vaccination campaign saving approximately 2.4 million lives.
In 2023, we reached the end of the public health emergency declaration on May 11 – the final milestone of the pandemic. Before we move forward, it’s important to understand immunization trends, reflect on vaccine advancements, and identify opportunities and challenges for immunology strategies in 2024 and beyond.
Understanding the Current State of Immunology
The pandemic significantly impacted pediatric and adult immunization trends, and it will take some time before we can understand its full effect and get vaccination rates back to pre-pandemic levels. The theme of the 2023 World Immunization Week was “The Big Catch-Up,” serving as both an acknowledgment of the state of global immunizations following the pandemic and a call to action.
While the pandemic stimulated innovation in immunology, including more vaccines being introduced in a single year (2021) than ever before, there were negative impacts on immunization progress as well. Stay-at-home orders prohibited families from attending well-child visits, and as a result, many children missed routine vaccinations. Fortunately, recent global immunization data demonstrates the sign of a positive comeback. The number of children who missed one or more vaccinations improved from 18.1 million in 2021 to 14.3 million in 2022, nearly reaching pre-pandemic levels. And more good news — in 2023, the RSV vaccine was introduced into the immunization schedule for eligible adults 60+ and has an 18% vaccination rate. Further, the rates of vaccination for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines continue to rise weekly among children and adults this winter.
As more adults and children return to their normal routines this year, such as attending annual check-ups, there will be more immunization opportunities. It’s important that healthcare providers encourage patients to receive any overdue routine vaccines and remain up to date with their recommended vaccine schedule. Providers can play a positive role in positive vaccine trends by acknowledging patient concerns and addressing vaccine hesitancy.
Commending New Vaccine Strategies
The pandemic helped create the potential for more vaccine innovation in terms of both development and distribution. Administering a new vaccine to the public promptly required the healthcare industry, as well as federal and local governments and supporting organizations, to get creative under pressure. And the result was optimized vaccine distribution strategies.
The COVID-19 vaccine rollout brought forward novel ideas and innovative executions that enabled millions of people to get vaccinated. For example, the Federal Emergency Management Agency helped transform non-traditional locations such as stadiums and schools into community vaccination centers to expand access to vaccines and a grassroots effort called “Get Out the Vaccine” mobilized vaccine distribution to underserved populations in Boston’s hardest-hit communities. Further, community-based partnerships and strategies were proven to build vaccine confidence among the public. The Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Bridge Access Program, which will run until the end of 2024, has helped millions of uninsured Americans get vaccinated for COVID-19.
Looking Ahead to 2024 and Beyond
As the industry determines which successful COVID-19 vaccine strategies to emulate moving forward, it’s also important to note that there’s always room for improvement. Despite tremendous progress in immunization efforts, many people around the world still have insufficient access to vaccines.
While the global COVID-19 vaccine campaign saved millions of people, research shows that there could have been 670,000 more lives saved had vaccines been distributed equitably. Social determinants of health, including education, income, and literacy, continue to impact access and willingness to get vaccinated. In 2024, it’s critical to continue supporting vaccination programs aimed at advancing immunization rates such as the Routine Immunizations on Schedule for Everyone program, an initiative to get all Americans back on schedule with their immunizations, and Partnering for Vaccine Equity which focuses on increasing immunization confidence and access among adult demographics.
Looking ahead, there’s a lot to be excited about for immunology as advancements in vaccine research are revolutionizing the landscape of disease prevention. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated research efforts and prompted significant interest in the possibility of mRNA infectious disease vaccines. Today, multiple mRNA vaccine trials are underway and we’re hopeful for this breakthrough vaccine technology.
As we were reminded by the pandemic, we can’t predict the future, but we believe that the future of vaccines is bright. If the industry continues to succeed in improving the development and promoting the administration of immunizations, there is no doubt that vaccines will continue to be a major driver in the advancement of healthcare in 2024 and years to come.