Promoting Uptake of COVID-19, Influenza, and RSV Vaccines for Fall 2023 (2023)
Chapter: Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Fall 2023 marks the first time that vaccines for three respiratory illnesses—COVID-19, seasonal influenza (flu), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)—will be available simultaneously. If taken, these vaccines can mitigate increases in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths that could strain the healthcare system, negatively impact the economy, and add to stress for individuals and families over the coming months.
While many vaccination strategies apply to all three illnesses, each has distinct characteristics that warrant some variation in emphasis:
- Updated COVID-19 vaccines: The context for the updated vaccines includes low uptake for the 2022 vaccine booster. The strategy for the updated vaccines needs to include communicating their value and benefit (i.e., what they are for and why it is important to get them) and facilitating access now that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency has ended (i.e., how to get them).
- Flu: The flu vaccine has been available for decades, but uptake has historically been low, with variation by age, race, sex, and other factors. As with the updated COVID-19 vaccine, the strategy for the flu vaccine needs to include communicating the associated risks and benefits (i.e., why it is important to get it) and addressing systemic issues related to access (i.e., how to get it).
- RSV: The RSV vaccines are new, currently recommended for certain adults 60 years of age and older. Because of the newness of these vaccines, it is necessary to educate the public about their value, risks, and benefits (i.e., what they are for and why it is important to get them), their efficacy and safety (i.e., development, testing, and what is currently known and not known about the vaccines), and facilitate access (i.e., how to get them).
State, tribal, local, and territorial authorities can be instrumental in promoting these vaccines. This rapid expert consultation describes vaccination strategies for fall 2023 that are based on current research in science communication, decision making, sociology, anthropology, and social psychology. One aspect of these strategies is communicating with the public about the safety of the vaccines, the integration of the updated COVID-19 vaccines into ongoing public health efforts, and the effectiveness and safety of the new RSV vaccines (Box 1). Another aspect is considering practical measures for overcoming accessibility challenges (Box 2). Related to both aspects is the importance of developing vaccination strategies that address the needs and concerns of groups that have historically been marginalized and/or bear a disproportionate burden of associated morbidity and mortality, including historically minoritized communities, unhoused individuals, under-resourced neighborhoods, and older adults.
