Pfizer heads into 2024 with a lower-than-expected sales forecast for its COVID-19 vaccine and treatment after weaker demand had already forced it to trim 2023 projections.
The drugmaker announced on Wednesday initial expectations for the new year that include about $8 billion in combined sales from its Comirnaty vaccine and the treatment Paxlovid. That falls more than $5 billion short of estimates on Wall Street.
The companys forecast for overall earnings and revenue next year also missed consensus. Pfizer shares continued their largely year-long slide in midday trading.
Pfizer leaders told analysts Wednesday that they expect vaccination and treatment rates to be about the same next year as they were in 2023. But they wanted to be conservative and offer a good floor for expectations to avoid creating any more uncertainty, CEO Albert Bourla said.
In mid-October, Pfizer said sales of both the vaccine and treatment were turning out weaker than expected. The company cut revenue projections for this year by $9 billion. Two weeks later, Pfizer said sales of the treatment and vaccine had slid 97% and 70%, respectively, in the third quarter.
Comirnaty and Paxlovid combined to rake in more than $56 billion in sales last year, easily making them Pfizer's two top-selling products.
But a down year for both was widely expected as demand slid and drugmakers switched to selling on the commercial market instead relying on the more stable payout of bulk government contracts.
Bourla also noted Wednesday in a call with analysts that the virus that triggered a global pandemic in 2020 is no longer top of mind, and that theres some COVID-19 fatigue and anti-vaccine rhetoric in the market.
Chief Financial Officer David Denton also called the virus unpredictable and said it was hard to model its performance. Even so, he said Pfizer expects both the market-leading treatment and vaccine to remain significant products.
They meet a very large and high unmet need of the patient population around the globe, he said.
Story continues
The company said that it expects full-year revenue in 2024 of between $58.5 billion and $61.5 billion, short of the $62.7 billion that Wall Street was expecting, according to a survey of industry analysts by FactSet.
The New York drugmaker expects to post per-share earnings of between $2.05 and $2.25 next year. Wall Street was projecting earnings of around $3.17 per share.
Pfizer also said that it was expanding its cost-cutting program by $500 million. Company leaders noted that recently acquired cancer treatment developer Seagen will start contributing revenue in the new year.
The company said it had no plans to cut its quarterly dividend which now totals 41 cents per share.
Shares of Pfizer Inc. slid more than 8% to $26.12 in late-morning trading while broader indexes climbed.
The stock had already already shed more than 44% of its value so far this year.
Topline
Most parents plan to get their children vaccinated against the flu and RSV, but less than half will seek out coronavirus vaccines, according to a new surveyas more parents than ever opt out of vaccinations and the updated Covid shots face weak demand.
A young boy gets a vaccine from his doctor.
getty
The study surveyed 5,035 parents across the country between September 27 and 28 about their intentions to vaccinate their children against the tripledemica simultaneous rise in Covid, flu and RSV cases that has caused hospitals to become overwhelmed.
Around 41% of parents intended to get their children vaccinated against Covid, 63% against the flu and 71% against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), according to the study published in Vaccine.
Trust in health institutions, concerns about the disease and good outcomes with previous vaccines were the top reasons parents planned to vaccinate their children.
Some of the main concerns cited by parents who said they wouldnt vaccinate their kids include worries about side effects, vaccine efficacy and safety, hesitancy because the kid already had the disease and belief their kids dont need to be vaccinated.
Almost 8% of children in the U.S. have an updated Covid vaccine, and about 42% of kids have received an updated flu vaccine, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Data on RSV vaccination rates in children is not yet available, but a shortage of infant RSV shots due to high demand and a hefty out-of-pocket cost of $500 has made it difficult for kids to get vaccinated.
More parents than ever before are opting out of childhood vaccinations for measles, polio, tetanus and other diseases, according to a report by the CDC. There was an uptick in exemptions for school-aged children in 40 states, and 3% of kids entering kindergarten had one for the 2022 to 2023 school year, which is the highest rate ever recorded in the U.S. Around 90% of all exemptions were for nonmedical reasons like religion and philosophy, according to the CDC, though it didnt specify any further. Idaho had the most kindergarten exemptions of any state (12.1%), followed by Oregon (8.2%) and Utah (8.1%). Around 30% of people in 2022 thought parents should be able to decide whether to vaccinate their school-aged children, up from 16% in 2019, a survey by health policy research organization KFF found. Experts believe the uptick of vaccine exemptions among children is related to skepticism of the updated Covid vaccines approved for use earlier this yearthough health agencies have found the coronavirus vaccines to be safe and effective. Public perception of the importance of childhood vaccines declined in 52 out of 55 countries studied during the Covid pandemic, UNICEF reports.
From a public health perspective, vaccine hesitancy has a ripple effect that extends beyond the individuals involved, even though they might tragically become ill or even die from a preventable disease, Simon Haeder, the studys author and an associate professor of health policy and management at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, said in a statement.
22,513. Thats how many Covid-related hospitalizations were reported the week of December 2, up almost 18% from previous weeks, according to data from the CDC. There were 9,746 recorded RSV casesdown about 350 from the previous week of Thanksgivingand there was a 6.8% increase in flu cases.
Childhood Vaccine Exemptions Reach Highest Level Ever Upping Risk For Outbreaks Of Polio, Measles And More (Forbes)
Heres Where Vaccination Rates Stand Among Covid, Flu, RSV Shots Ahead Of The HolidaysAnd Why Experts Say You Should Get Yours Soon (Forbes)
New Covid Boosters Expected This Fall: Why Some Doctors Suggest Holding Off On Getting Your Next Booster Until Then (Forbes)
Infant RSV Antibody Shortage: Here Are The CDC Recommended Alternatives (Forbes)
I'm a Texas native covering the latest trends in tech, science and healthcare through explainer pieces on the breaking news team. Previously, I was a Forbes HBCU Scholar writing under the innovation and health and science teams. In 2022, I graduated from Clark Atlanta University where I was the fashion editor for CAU's official newspaper, the Panther, and the managing editor of Her Campus CAU. During my matriculation, I interned with top companies such as Warner Bros. Discovery and The Walt Disney Company. Got a tip? Don't hesitate to reach out to me via email (ajohnson@forbes.com), or dm me on any social media platform.
State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada
Zip Code
Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
You may have read recent alarming reports of a cough that lasts 100 days is quickly spreading across the UK and can fracture ribs. If you didnt look beyond the headlines, you might have missed the fact that the reports are about whooping cough.
So, what is going on?
Whooping cough (or pertussis) is what is known in the UK as a notifiable infectious disease, which means any doctor who diagnoses a case has a legal duty to report the infection to the local authority. Notifications of whooping cough are indeed much higher this year, particularly in the five months since July than at any time during the previous three years.
In the 21 weeks to November 27, there were 716 notifications compared with just 217 in the same period in 2022, 213 in 2021 and just 72 in 2020. That is more than a threefold rise this year compared with the previous year.
Like most respiratory infections, whooping cough was suppressed during the COVID years. Notifications for whooping cough this year are still markedly down on 2019 where there were 1,842 notifications over the same 21-week period.
What we are seeing now is a partial return to the pre-COVID situation and not an unprecedented surge in infections. (Although the reported cases represent only a fraction of all cases in the community.)
The fact that whooping cough notifications are still relatively low should not distract from the fact that infections in the 2010s were still much higher than in the previous decade. Since the mid-1950s and the introduction of a vaccine, whooping cough was generally in decline until this most recent decade.
Whooping cough is a chest infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis although another bacterium Bordetella parapertussis can also cause it.
The illness lasts for about six weeks or more and progresses through three stages. The first stage is very similar to a bad cold with a runny nose, sneezing and sore eyes.
The second phase, which starts after about two weeks, is characterised by bouts of intense coughing. Each bout can last several minutes and is occasionally followed by the loud whoop that gives the disease its name. Afterwards, a chronic cough can remain for several weeks.
Most people eventually make a full recovery, but in babies under three months old 1% to 3% may die. And most children under six months will require hospitalisation.
About one in 50 babies under one year will suffer convulsions and one in 150 (0.6%) will have encephalopathy (swelling of the brain).
Other even more serious neurological problems, such as paralysis and blindness, have been reported but are rare. In older children and adults, fainting, rib fractures, pneumonia and urinary incontinence can occur.
Antibiotics have limited value in treating whooping cough. They can reduce the time that the patient is infectious to others, but they have limited effect on preventing symptoms.
There is an effective vaccine for whooping cough that in the UK is given in combination with other vaccines at eight, 12 and 16 weeks old. Then there is a booster shot given when the child is three years and four months.
The vaccine is also now recommended for pregnant women. This is not to protect the mother but to protect their baby during the first weeks of the childs life before the first course of vaccine when the infant would be at the highest risk of death.
Concerns about the safety of the vaccine, particularly during the 1970s, led to a significant fall in vaccine coverage and a re-emergence of whooping cough.
A committee of the US Institute of Medicine concluded that the evidence was consistent with a causal relationship between the vaccine and acute encephalopathy, with a risk estimated at between zero and ten cases per million jabs administered.
However, subsequent studies suggested that many of the cases in the biggest study had a particular genetic abnormality known as Dravet syndrome and the whooping cough vaccine was merely bringing forward the date of onset of problems that would have happened anyway.
In any event, the studies reported above were of a time when whole-cell vaccines were being used (made from killed whole bacteria). Since 2004, whooping cough vaccines made with just parts of the bacterium (so-called acellular vaccine) have been used in the UK and these are associated with a lower risk of side-effects.
The recent increase in notifications of whooping cough, as mentioned above, is due to COVID suppression measures lockdowns, mask-wearing and hand hygiene coming to an end. But why there were more whooping cough cases during the years 2010 to 2019 compared with the previous decade is far from clear.
Vaccine coverage in the years before COVID up to 2019 was no lower than ten years previously. Possible explanations include waning immunity, greater awareness of whooping cough among doctors (so more diagnoses), and improved laboratory diagnosis.
My take on the evidence is that the increasing infections in the years before COVID was down to the shift from whole-cell to acellular vaccine. Although the acellular vaccines cause fewer side-effects, they also generate less powerful immunity.
While both vaccines are highly effective at preventing severe disease, the acellular vaccine does not prevent mild infections that can be infectious for others for as long, so allowing the infection to continue to spread in the community.
The whole-cell pertussis vaccines were able to achieve herd immunity, which the acellular ones probably cannot. So the chance that young babies come into contact with an infectious older child or adult is now greater.
With the falling vaccination coverage in pregnant women this puts babies at risk in their most vulnerable first weeks of life.
An investigational mRNA vaccine used along with immunotherapy continues to show benefit for people with high-risk forms of the skin cancer melanoma, the drugmakers said Thursday.Related video above: New vaccine shows potential for lung cancer treatmentAt a three-year follow-up with trial participants who had had a stage III or IV melanoma fully removed but were at high risk of the cancer coming back, those who got the vaccine from Moderna along with Merck's Keytruda immunotherapy had a 49% lower risk of recurrence or death and a 62% lower risk of distant tumor cell spread or death compared with those who got Keytruda alone, the companies said in a news release.A two-year follow-up had found a 44% lower risk of recurrence or death and a 65% lower risk of distant metastasis or death in people who got Keytruda and the vaccine, called mRNA-4157/V940, compared with those who got Keytruda alone.About a quarter of the trial participants who got Keytruda plus the vaccine reported serious adverse events related to the treatment, compared with about 20% for those who got only Keytruda. The most common side effects attributed to the vaccine were fatigue, pain at the injection site and chills.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration first approved Keytruda, which boosts the immune system's ability to detect and fight cancer cells, for the treatment of certain cancers in 2014. The agency has granted a breakthrough therapy designation to mRNA-4157/V940 combined with Keytruda. This status expedites the development and review of drugs that are intended to treat a serious condition and that preliminary clinical evidence indicates may be a substantial improvement over available therapies.The data from the Phase 2b trial of the therapies has not been peer-reviewed or published in a professional journal. Moderna and Merck say they have begun Phase 3 trials on stage IIB-IV melanoma and non-small-cell lung cancer, and they plan to expand the research to include further types of tumors.According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma accounts for about 1% of all skin cancers, but it causes a majority of skin cancer deaths. The group estimated that in 2023, about 100,000 new melanomas would be diagnosed in the U.S., and almost 8,000 people would die from melanoma.CNN's Jamie Gumbrecht contributed to this report.
An investigational mRNA vaccine used along with immunotherapy continues to show benefit for people with high-risk forms of the skin cancer melanoma, the drugmakers said Thursday.
Related video above: New vaccine shows potential for lung cancer treatment
At a three-year follow-up with trial participants who had had a stage III or IV melanoma fully removed but were at high risk of the cancer coming back, those who got the vaccine from Moderna along with Merck's Keytruda immunotherapy had a 49% lower risk of recurrence or death and a 62% lower risk of distant tumor cell spread or death compared with those who got Keytruda alone, the companies said in a news release.
A two-year follow-up had found a 44% lower risk of recurrence or death and a 65% lower risk of distant metastasis or death in people who got Keytruda and the vaccine, called mRNA-4157/V940, compared with those who got Keytruda alone.
About a quarter of the trial participants who got Keytruda plus the vaccine reported serious adverse events related to the treatment, compared with about 20% for those who got only Keytruda. The most common side effects attributed to the vaccine were fatigue, pain at the injection site and chills.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration first approved Keytruda, which boosts the immune system's ability to detect and fight cancer cells, for the treatment of certain cancers in 2014. The agency has granted a breakthrough therapy designation to mRNA-4157/V940 combined with Keytruda. This status expedites the development and review of drugs that are intended to treat a serious condition and that preliminary clinical evidence indicates may be a substantial improvement over available therapies.
The data from the Phase 2b trial of the therapies has not been peer-reviewed or published in a professional journal. Moderna and Merck say they have begun Phase 3 trials on stage IIB-IV melanoma and non-small-cell lung cancer, and they plan to expand the research to include further types of tumors.
According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma accounts for about 1% of all skin cancers, but it causes a majority of skin cancer deaths. The group estimated that in 2023, about 100,000 new melanomas would be diagnosed in the U.S., and almost 8,000 people would die from melanoma.
CNN's Jamie Gumbrecht contributed to this report.
This article has been reviewed according to ScienceX's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
fact-checked
peer-reviewed publication
trusted source
proofread
close
A large international research collaboration, led by an academic from Royal Holloway, University of London, found that blood groups could help predict the risk of venous strokes associated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
The research was led by Professor Pankaj Sharma from the Institute of Cardiovascular Research at Royal Holloway and the Department of Clinical Neurology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, along with a collaborative group of researchers from across the globe.
The study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, set out to determine whether a patient's blood group influences the development of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT)otherwise known as a venous strokefollowing administration of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Previous research had found that patients with blood group A, were at a greater risk of severe COVID-19, as they constituted the majority of patients in intensive care. Any occurrence of CVT within 28 days of receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is defined internationally as being a result of the injection.
A total of 523 CVT patients were used in the study and recruited from two study groups investigating venous strokes. Of the total, 82 patients had suffered from CVT after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, while the remaining 441 were unvaccinated CVT patients. Participants in the study had their blood group tested, and the results were compared to determine the distribution of blood groups in the vaccinated and unvaccinated patients.
The study found that blood group O was more prevalent in patients who had experienced a venous stroke after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine (43%) than it was in those patients who were unvaccinated venous stroke sufferers (17%). The researchers found that patients with blood group A were the most common by percentage among those in the unvaccinated group (71%).
The findings of the research suggest that those with blood group O have an increased risk of CVT, or venous stroke, following administration of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, regardless of well-established venous stroke risk factorssuch as gender.
Further studies could help researchers understand more about the relationship between patients from the O blood group and the apparent elevated risk of CVT after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Professor Pankaj Sharma, from the Department of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway, said, "Our work suggests that it may be possible to predict those most at risk of cerebral venous thrombosis stroke following COVID-19 vaccination using a simple test for blood group.
"The AstraZeneca vaccine is 10 times cheaper than mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer, yet many countries have paused its use because of this associated risk of stroke, despite the vaccine being highly effective and easily transportable.
"Those with blood group O, seem two-and-a-half times more likely to be in the post-vaccine risk group. Predicting who is more likely to suffer from stroke after vaccination may provide confidence to governments for using this vaccineparticularly in low- and middle-income countries, where cheaper and more easily transportable vaccines could prove more effective."
More information: Gie Ken-Dror et al, ABO blood group associated with cerebral venous thrombosis after Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination: a casecontrol study, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1177/01410768231214341
Journal information: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
Primary care nurses must be given appropriate support, resources and time in order to deliver the ambitions of the newly published vaccination strategy in England, Nursing in Practice has been told.
Leading nurses have welcomed NHS Englands new strategy which suggests vaccinations will become part of a one-stop shop, with nurses and colleagues set to expand the offer of blood pressure tests and other health checks and advice alongside routine vaccinations.
The long-awaited national vaccination strategy document, published on Wednesday, also said that local health teams will have more flexibility to locate vaccine services in convenient local places such as community centres, sport facilities and places of worship.
In addition, from 2025/26 people will be able to access their own vaccination record through the NHS App and book vaccinations.
Independent nurse consultant and immunisation specialist Helen Donovan was pleased to see the strategy launch and its ambitions around easing up the way that people can make appointments to be vaccinated.
However, she stressed that the time it takes for nurses to carry out vaccination appointments needed more consideration.
For example, she questioned whether practice nurses would have the capacity to do a blood pressure check alongside vaccinations, particularly where several vaccines are needed.
While nurses strive to ensure they make every contact count, Ms Donovan said this depended on having the time, resource and the capacity to do so.
What nurses and other clinicians say to me is we all want to make every contact count, but we dont always have the time to do it, said Ms Donovan, who is also a Queens Nurse.
In addition, she noted that nurses were increasingly telling me that they are lucky if they get 10-minute slots for childrens vaccines, despite guidance from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) stating that 20-minute slots are required for most childrens appointments where the schedule is complex.
My worry is that to do those sorts of consultations safely, you need more time, she said.
Ms Donovan stressed it was also important to consider the education and training needs of nurses giving vaccinations, including annual updates, and the time and funding this also required to facilitate.
Overarchingly, Ms Donovan also highlighted how we need funding to facilitate the strategy and more registered nurses in primary care settings generally.
This was echoed by RCN professional lead for primary care Heather Randle who also warned of the support and resources nurses needed to deliver this work.
She told Nursing in Practice that the strategy was a significant and important development for public health.
However, there is a chronic shortage of nursing staff to provide these, and they need support and resources to deliver this programme of essential vaccines, added Ms Randle.
Primary care nurses are already at the forefront of vaccination programs, and they will tell you that giving vaccines are never just about the injections.
They fully appreciate how vaccination appointments provide the opportunity to carry out a health and wellbeing check.
In addition, Ms Randle warned it was important to ensure that increased opportunities to be vaccinated do not dilute that opportunity to check on the patient and their family.
NHS staff will offer blood pressure tests and other health checks and advice, alongside routine vaccinations
The NHS England has developed and published a new vaccination strategy with an aim to increase national uptake of lifesaving vaccinations, and protect people against a range of diseases.
Getting vaccinations will become easier than ever before, as the NHS App is being expanded with more additional features.
Improved booking features such as new in-App bookings, invitation alerts and appointment notifications will make booking a jab as easy as booking a cab, NHS leaders said.
The NHS App overhaul will also include improved access to medical records, meaning users will be able to see their routine vaccination status over the coming months and years, making it easier for them to identify any missed vaccinations in their history.
More than 33 million people are already signed up to the NHS App, and currently users can only view their COVID and flu vaccination status.
Alongside routine vaccinations, NHS staff will offer blood pressure tests and other health checks and advice, which means vaccinations will become part of a one-stop shop.
The NHS vaccination strategy also includes expansion of community outreach, including setting up of vaccine services in convenient local places such as community centres, sport facilities and places of worship.
Health Minister Maria Caulfield commented: To ensure as many people get vaccinated as possible, we need to make sure the programme fits around peoples lives.
The Vaccine Strategy will build on the brilliant work already underway to make it easier than ever to get vaccinated and to reach people who would not typically come forward for their jabs. Whether its booking via the app or stopping in while at parents evening with your children we are unveiling new, innovative ways of getting these lifesaving jabs and easing pressure on the NHS.
Get on the NHS App and see just how easy it is to get your jab, she added.
NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard informed that users of their app will be able to access their full vaccine status in a matter of seconds and book jabs with a simple swipe and tap.
And well continue to expand the amazing work of NHS staff, volunteers and partners to introduce even more pop-up sites in the heart of our local communities. So, when you are invited for any of your vaccinations, please do book without delay it could be lifesaving, she said.
Steve Russell, National Director for Vaccinations and Screening for NHS England, highlighted that vaccination is one of the best ways to boost public health, second only to clean water.
He said: We want to see even more people supported to take up the offer of lifesaving vaccinations its the best way to protect you and those around you from illnesses which can be fatal, so please do come forward if invited, and if youre unsure or have questions, the NHS is here to help.
NHS England noted that this strategy is for people and organisations involved in the commissioning, planning and delivery of NHS vaccination services in England.
The NHS said Wednesday that it will expand the NHS app to allow more people to view their vaccination record and book in for vaccines.
NHS England said its newvaccination strategy will outline how getting vaccinations will be made easier than ever before, including through expansion of the NHS App, one-stop shops and community outreach. It said millions more people will be able to view their full vaccination record and book jabs over the months and years to come.
It also said expansion of the app will include improved access to medical records and provide patients with a personal history of potentially life-saving vaccines, such as HPV and MMR.
Improved booking features will include new in-App bookings, invitation alerts and appointment notifications, which NHS leaders said in the statement will make booking a jab as easy as booking a cab.
As part of the changes, parents of children and young people will increasingly be able to see the vaccination status of their children on the App and there will be new information and advice on how to book appointments.
Last week marked the anniversary of the worlds first ever Covid-19 vaccination given to 93-year-old Maggie Keenan in Coventry on the 8 December 2020 and todays NHS vaccination strategy builds on the world-leading NHS Covid-19 vaccine programme, which allowed adults to book their own vaccine appointments online, and to get vaccinated in a range of non-NHS settings.
Health and care professionals will focus efforts on going into the heart of communities to protect unvaccinated people who are less well-served by traditional health services taking vaccines close to peoples homes and offering in-person support to improve vaccine confidence, as well as offering the chance to get a jab.
Creating a one-stop shop
Vaccinations will become part of a one-stop shop with NHS staff set to expand the offer of blood pressure tests and other health checks and advice, alongside routine vaccinations, while local health teams will have more flexibility to locate vaccine services in convenient local places such as community centres, sport facilities and places of worship.
Around nine in 10 children have had their pre-school immunisations and flu vaccination rates are among the highest in the world, but this new blueprint for vaccination will support even higher uptake rates and bring the NHS closer to eliminating serious diseases like cervical cancer.
Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of the NHS in England noted that the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme has delivered more than 156 million Covid jabs and saved tens of thousands of lives, and that the new vaccination strategy aimed to build on this success.
Through the NHS app, well make sure booking a jab can be as easy as booking a cab so millions more people can get vaccinated users will be able to access their full vaccine status in a matter of seconds and book jabs with a simple swipe and tap.
And well continue to expand the amazing work of NHS staff, volunteers and partners to introduce even more pop-up sites in the heart of our local communities. So, when you are invited for any of your vaccinations, please do book without delay it could be lifesaving, she added.
Over 33 million people are already signed up to the NHS App. Currently, most NHS App users can view their Covid and flu vaccination status via the NHS App, but the NHS will be increasing the visibility of routine vaccine-preventable diseases, making it easier for people to identify any missed vaccinations in their history.
Booking and receiving more than one vaccine in a single visit will also become easier, building on a big year-on-year increase in the number of winter flu and Covid-19 vaccines offered at the same time.
This has been supported by a joint online and telephone booking service and by combined invitations, both for the first time, as part of the current winter vaccines campaign.
Professor Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: The link between uptake rates and vaccine confidence and accessibility is critical and I welcome this renewed focus by NHS England on innovative delivery approaches responding to local need.
Infectious diseases hit hardest on the most vulnerable and vaccination is a critical tool in reversing health inequalities.
Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, added: Being able to check which vaccines you or your children have had via the NHS App will be popular with many people, as will the opportunity to book in for a vaccine appointment and get a reminder. These expansions of the App will help patients manage their health.
91-year-old Margaret Keenan gets her Covid-19 booster vaccine
Getting jabs against a range of diseases will soon be as easy as booking a cab, the NHS has promised. Easier access to vaccine records via the NHS app and one-stop-shops where people can get their shots alongside other health checks are among measures set out in a new vaccination strategy on Wednesday.
Community outreach measures could also see vaccination teams attend school parents evenings to discuss the importance of immunisation.
Health bosses said the plans would boost uptake of vital jabs and bring the country closer to elimination of preventable diseases such as cervical cancer.
Amanda Pritchard, NHS England chief executive, said: Just over three years ago Maggie Keenan was the first person in the world to receive an approved Covid-19 jab.
Our vision for the future of vaccinations published today sets out how we plan to build on this huge success and save even more lives.
READ MORE: The Covid symptoms you should be looking out for in the lead up to Christmas
Through the NHS app, well make sure booking a jab can be as easy as booking a cab so millions more people can get vaccinated users will be able to access their full vaccine status in a matter of seconds and book jabs with a simple swipe and tap.
More than 156 million Covid jabs have been delivered since December 8 2020, saving tens of thousands of lives.
Meanwhile, the human papillomavirus vaccine has been found to cut rates of cervical cancer among women who receive it when aged 12 to 13.
However, uptake of some vaccinations - including childhood jabs to combat meningitis, polio, diphtheria and tetanus - have fallen recently.
Coverage decreased for 12 out of 14 childhood vaccine measures reported in 2022-23, with none meeting the 95 percent target.
Steve Russell, NHS Englands national director for vaccinations and screening, said jabs were one of the best ways to boost public health, second only to clean water.
He said plans included taking vaccines into the heart of communities where we see lower uptake rates, so offering vaccines at pop-up clinics and health hubs in shopping centres, and local schools teams going into parents evenings to address barriers to people consenting to their childs vaccinations.
Health minister Maria Caulfield said: To ensure as many people get vaccinated as possible, we need to make sure the programme fits around peoples lives.
Whether its booking via the app or stopping in while at parents evening with your children we are unveiling new, innovative ways of getting these lifesaving jabs and easing pressure on the NHS."
