Enhancing vaccine uptake in an age of COVID-19

On 7 February, the Intellectual Forum hosted a critical discussion about how to make our communities - our world - safer and healthier.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the growing difficulties with encouraging populations to get vaccinated.

Low vaccination rates are often attributed to vaccine hesitancy. However, the reasons why individuals may not get vaccinated are multiple and varied, based on a variety of social, economic, political, psychological, and even logistical factors.

Public health experts, leaders, and governments must understand the impediments to vaccine uptake in order to develop strategies that go beyond conventional interventions to address low vaccination rates.

In collaboration with the Intellectual Forum, the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, and the University of Sydney, the Global Health Security Network was released a policy report authored by Dr Kerrie Wiley and Professor Julie Leask that examines the challenges and strategies to increase vaccine uptake.

At this Intellectual Forum event, Professor Michelle Williams, Dean of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, officially launched the report and discussed its implications for public health professionals and the wider community.

A recording of the talk is available on our College YouTube channel.