The members and associated organisations of the Coalition for Vaccination held their Autumn Meeting on 12 October 2021. The meeting was chaired by the three Co-Chairs of the Coalition, the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME), the European Federation of Nursing Associations (EFN), and the Pharmaceutical Group of the EU (PGEU). During the meeting’s two sessions, participants heard from the European Commission, Coalition member associations, and the coordinators of the IMMUNION project.
One of the meeting's results was that the Coalition members agreed on a joint statement on influenza vaccination, to be launched in conjunction with a communication campaign for Flu Awareness Week (October 18-22, 2021). Participants also discussed important updates related to the EU’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and collaboration on the Commission’s wider vaccine communication efforts. Student associations were highlighted in a special session. They presented their activities over the summer and discussed the support that they can both offer and receive thanks to their participation in the Coalition.
Coalition members then discussed the activities conducted on behalf of the Coalition by the IMMUNION project since its kick-off in April. These included the launch of the new Coalition website and social media pages, a first newsletter, a survey about the vaccine communication training needs of healthcare professionals, and some initial cross-project calls to discuss prospective areas of synergy and collaboration on EU-funded project activities targeting healthcare professionals. Upcoming Coalition and IMMUNION activities were also presented, which will serve to increase the overall visibility of the Coalition, enhance vaccine communication training and knowledge exchange opportunities for healthcare professionals, and provide further structure for the long-term governance and sustainability of the Coalition’s work.