The Pandemic has Caused Immense Routine Immunization Disruption

Adding to the long list of disruptions the COVID-19 pandemic has caused, beyond excessive morbidity and mortality, is the impact on routine immunizations. Routine vaccines are one of the pillars of our regional and global health systems and any wellbeing strategy. Vaccine preventable diseases, such as COVID-19 save our economies and our healthcare systems extremely large amounts of money and lives every year. But the pandemic has disrupted processes as demonstrated in this study published recently in the Lancet. Routine vaccinations for Measles, Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis have decreased between 7.7% and 7.9%, this will have far reaching consequences for vaccine preventable diseases in the coming years. Routine vaccinations for some workplaces, and indeed for COVID-19, range from mandatory to highly recommended, although a strong case for mandatory vaccination can be made in many instances.