European healthcare professionals urge vaccination for COVID-19 and seasonal influenza

31 October 2023

Healthcare professionals in Europe call for countries to make influenza and COVID-19 vaccination easily accessible particularly to high-risk population groups such as people with co-morbidities, the immunocompromised, the elderly and pregnant women.

Also, healthcare professionals who are more exposed to the risk of infection and who need to protect their patients should get vaccinated against influenza, complete their COVID-19 vaccination series and receive the potential additional dose.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the risk of COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory infections will increase in the European Region in the coming months.

Last winter, the cumulative impacts of influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hit the eldest but also the youngest citizens the hardest. This translated into additional pressure for the healthcare services in Europe.¹

This autumn, the European Commission has authorised two adapted COVID-19 vaccines to allow the European Union (EU) countries to prepare in time for their autumn-winter vaccination campaigns.

These are the third adaptations of the COVID-19 vaccines to respond to new variants. Vaccines authorised in the EU go through a stringent scientific evaluation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on quality, safety, and efficacy. The Coalition for Vaccination reaffirms that vaccination is a safe and efficient way of protecting individuals and populations from vaccine-preventable communicable diseases. Safety is continuously monitored by EMA.

Healthcare professionals are trusted sources of information for parents, and they can help families make informed decisions that contribute to public health. Moreover, they can help build vaccine confidence and address misinformation by sharing facts and information among their communities.

The Coalition for Vaccination also calls on the EU policymakers to keep vaccination high on the agenda.

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1 WHO/Europe, EC and ECDC urge eligible groups to get vaccinated or boosted to save lives this autumn and winter.>

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 2023.

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The Coalition for Vaccination brings together European associations of healthcare professionals and students. It was convened by the European Commission in 2019 with an aim to support delivering accurate information to the public, combating myths around vaccines and vaccination, and exchanging best practices on vaccination.