Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Vaccination in Patients at Risk of Infection

The vaccination policy is drawn up in France by the French Minister of Health, who makes public the vaccination schedule after the opinion of the High Authority of Health.

Currently according to the 2019 immunization schedule, the dTP vaccine is the only mandatory in the general population with recalls in adults aged 25, 45, 65 and every 10 years. In 2011, the Ministry of Health estimated that only 50.5% of the general population was up to date against dTP.

Two vaccines are recommended for person at risk of infection according to the current vaccine schedule: the flu vaccine and the pneumococcal vaccine. In fact, influenza and pneumococcal disease are more frequent and more serious in patients with chronic diseases (diabetes, cardiac insufficiency..) compared to the general population.

The vaccination coverage rate of at-risk populations is dramatically below the vaccination coverage targets set by the Ministry of Health. Indeed, there are many barriers to vaccination, medical and para-medical barriers, but also individual barriers.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has identified people at risk of severe infection and death risk, particularly those with co-morbidities (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc.). Thus, this pandemic may have contributed to change in patients' perceptions regarding both the risk of infection and the potential interest and benefit of vaccination.