A webinar series: Routine Immunisation Services amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

When the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 brought the world to a standstill in 2020, immunisation programmes worldwide were disrupted like almost every other health programme. The disruption was mainly due to the understandable diversion of resources to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic as well as mobility restrictions stopping people from accessing healthcare or health workers reaching out to populations that are marginalised.

After over two years of the pandemic and ongoing efforts to restore and maintain routine immunisation programmes, what are the key lessons that we have learned? Could the integration of immunisation and other essential services be an avenue to reach missed communities? What has been the impact of the pandemic on financing for immunisation and primary health care services?

Over the course of April and May, we invited a panel of immunisation experts, government and civil society organisation representatives, and healthcare workers to discuss the impact and lessons learned, as well as the possible innovative solutions to restore and maintain routine immunisation following disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic.

These webinars were hosted by the Gavi CSO Steering Committee in partnership with RESULTS UK, Save the Children, USAID’s Momentum Country and Global Leadership Project/International Vaccine Access Center, UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Recordings and resources from the webinars are included in this blog. The final briefing produced following the webinar series, which outlines key learnings and specific recommendations, can be accessed here.

Webinar 1: Delivery of Routine Immunisation Services Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic