Making the transition from pandemic to endemic COVID a success in Europe
COVID continues to pose a threat to public health even though the pandemic is over. It is now broadly similar in scale and impact to influenza, which remains a persistent public health problem. In this context, regular vaccination remains an essential tool to combat COVID, particularly for at-risk groups such as the elderly and immunocompromised.
Yet uptake of COVID vaccines has dropped to just 12% on average among individuals aged 60 and over in Europe during the 2023/24 vaccination season. This is significantly below the comparable annual uptake rate for seasonal influenza vaccines.
The COVID Transition Initiative has been set up to prompt and shape a discussion on how to improve COVID vaccination rates in Europe.
The COVID Transition Initiative (CTI) is an informal, independent, multi-stakeholder group that brings together leading experts, patient advocates and policymakers. The work of the CTI is made possible by financial support from Novavax. The content and recommendations of the Transition Roadmap (and any other CTI outputs) remain the independent opinions of the CTI group members.
COVID Transition Roadmap
The COVID Transition Roadmap was published in May 2024. It includes thirteen recommendations, organised into three main areas, for decision makers at all levels to tackle the challenge of low COVID vaccine uptake rates.
How to protect people from the threat of endemic COVID by increasing vaccine uptake
How to ensure an appropriate long-term framework for routine COVID vaccination
How to drive progress in COVID vaccination year-on-year
The full report is available in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Polish.
