Co-administration of flu and COVID vaccines: Improving convenience and vaccination coverage

Influenza and COVID-19 can have an important impact in health, productivity and quality of life, especially for vulnerable populations. Likewise, both diseases have vaccines that are available and support a lower risk of transmission of the disease.

Pharmacists can play a major role in reminding people to get vaccinated, building vaccine confidence and supporting their decision making, dispensing vaccines and, in some countries, administering those vaccines.  The coadministration of these vaccines can lead to an efficient and convenient way of improving vaccine uptake against both diseases. Community pharmacies’s accessibility and credibility put them in an ideal situation to provide this important service, thus making a valuable contribution to disease prevention.

This digital event will discuss the importance of promoting the coadministration of COVID-19 and flu vaccines as well as strategies for pharmacies’ involvement.

By the end of the session participants should be able to:

• Understand the benefits of vaccine coadministration
• Recognize the need for vaccination coverage in both flu and COVID-19
• Present the FIP Guideline on this topic

Moderator:

- Daragh Connolly, President, Community Pharmacy Section, Ireland

Panellist:

- Mitchel Rothholz, Immunization Consultant, Three-C Consulting, USA
- Lisa Nissen, Professor (Program Director) – Health Workforce Optimisation, Centre for Business and Economics of Health, (Faculty of Business), Australia
- Sham Moodley, Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa/Independent Community Pharmacy Assoc (ICPA), South Africa
- Paula Teixeira, Scientific Information Manager, Center for Medicines Information and Health Interventions (CEDIME) in the Portuguese National Association of Pharmacies (ANF), Portugal
- Rúben Viegas, FIP Practice Development and Transformation Projects Coordinator, Portugal