Independent expert insights to strengthen Europe’s approach to endemic COVID-19

COVID-19 continues to be a recurring burden for vulnerable populations and health systems across Europe. But, all too often, it is seen by the public and policymakers as a problem confined to the pandemic.

That needs to change. The burden of COVID-19 remains high in Europe, but vaccination coverage rates are alarmingly low.

Countries need clear evidence, coordinated approaches, and practical strategies to integrate COVID-19 vaccination and broader prevention measures into routine practice.

That is why the COVID Transition Initiative (CTI) exists. The CTI brings together leading experts, public health practitioners, patient advocates, and policymakers to support this shift through independent analysis and policy-relevant insights.

Our priorities

Workstream 1

Adoption

Understanding the behavioural, practical, and system-level drivers of vaccination decisions, and how seasonal COVID vaccination can be better integrated into national programmes.

Workstream 2

Awareness

Improving visibility of disease burden and vaccination coverage, and supporting clear communication about COVID as an ongoing public health challenge.

Workstream 3

Access

Strengthening the resilience of immunisation systems, including the processes needed to support predictable vaccine availability and broad protection across multiple platforms.

Our members

The CTI is an informal, independent, multi-stakeholder group composed of clinicians, public health experts, behavioural scientists, patient representatives, and policymakers from across Europe.

The CTI was initiated and made possible by financial support from Sanofi. Its outputs remain the independent opinions and responsibility of the CTI group members.

Prof Leif Erik Sander

Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Workstream 1

Adoption

Workstream 2

Awareness

Workstream 3

Access

Prof Giovanni Rezza

Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan

Prof Heidi Larson

Vaccine Confidence Project

Co-Chairs

Yvanie Caillé

Renaloo

Prof Sir Jonathan Van-Tam

University of Nottingham (independent consultant)

Prof Roberta Siliquini

University of Torino

Policymaker supporter

Prof Paolo Bonanni

University of Florence

Prof Jaime Jesús Pérez Martín

General Directorate of Public Health, Region of Murcia

Vytenis Andriukaitis

Member of the European Parliament; Former European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety