Other immunisations must not be forgotten post-Covid, says thinktank

The International Longevity Centre (ILC) is urging people to come forward for their free flu and pneumococcal vaccinations as the temperatures drop, putting families at risk of becoming ill during the cost of living crisis.

The thinktank said a key public health focus must be to ensure people receive the vaccinations they missed during the pandemic and noted the number of people this affected.

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) suggested that more than 25 million infants missed out on childhood vaccinations
• Polio has re-emerged in London and New York
• First-dose coverage of a measles-containing vaccine has fallen by five per cent globally since 2019, and second-dose levels have plateaued
• In the UK, the number of HPV vaccinations dropped by more than 25 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels. During the pandemic, millions of teenagers could not attend school, meaning they did not receive information on the vaccine, or the vaccine itself.

Patrick Swain, Senior Research and Policy Officer at ILC and Coordinator for the Coalition for Life Course Immunisation (CLCI) said: “Pandemic lockdowns and social distancing reduced the capacity of health services and severely affected the delivery of crucial life course immunisations.

“As a result of being unable to receive routine vaccinations, many people have been put at greater risk, especially younger age groups. Vaccines are vital because they give our populations the immunity boost needed to protect them against severe disease.”