Vaccination continues to deliver meaningful protection.

  • COVID-19 vaccination continues to provide important protection against symptomatic infection.

  • During the 2024–2025 respiratory virus season in Europe, vaccines were around 66% effective overall at preventing medically attended symptomatic COVID-19 (Laniece Delaunay et al., Influenza Other Respir Viruses 2025).

  • Protection was highest shortly after vaccination (around 73%) and declined over time (to around 54%), with similar effectiveness observed among older adults, who remain at higher risk of severe outcomes (Laniece Delaunay et al., Influenza Other Respir Viruses 2025).

  • European monitoring shows that annual COVID-19 vaccination restores protection against hospitalisation and death, but that protection declines over time since the last vaccination, particularly among older adults. This highlights the importance of regular vaccination strategies to maintain protection in higher-risk groups (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Interim Analysis 2024).

  • These findings confirm that vaccination plays an ongoing role in reducing disease burden and pressure on healthcare systems, even as population immunity evolves.

Clear strategy matters for tackling low vaccine uptake.

  • The use of different variant targets within the same season risks confusing healthcare professionals and the public, particularly when differences are subtle and not linked to clear outcome benefits (Sharff et al., Vaccine 2025).

  • This matters in a context of very low routine COVID-19 vaccine uptake, especially among those most at risk. During the 2024–2025 season, only around 7–9% of adults aged ≥60 years received an annual COVID-19 vaccine in Europe (ECDC 2025).

  • Clear, consistent vaccination strategies that emphasise protection against severe disease and long-term consequences, rather than technical differences between variants, are likely to be critical for maintaining confidence and improving coverage in the post-pandemic phase.

  1. Laniece Delaunay C, et al. COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Against Medically Attended Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Target Groups in Europe, October 2024–January 2025, VEBIS Primary Care Network. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses. 2025;19(11):e70120.

  2. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Interim analysis of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation and death using electronic health records in eight European countries: first update, April 2022–July 2023. Stockholm: ECDC; 2024. DOI: 10.2900/78799.

  3. Sharff KA, Haslam A, Nealon J. COVID-19 vaccine variant target: how should we choose? Vaccine. 2025;68:127917.

  4. Coalition for Life-Course Immunisation (CLCI) & European Scientific Working Group on Influenza (ESWI). Winter Respiratory Diseases in Europe: COVID-19, Influenza, RSV, Pneumococcal Disease, and Human Metapneumovirus — Policy Brief. December 2025.

  5. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the EU/EEA during the 2024–25 season campaigns: 1 August 2024 to 28 March 2025. Stockholm: ECDC; 2025. doi: 10.2900/2239152

Specific footnotes for COVID-19 vaccine coverage % by target group:

* 12 of 21 countries report data for Aug 2024 - Feb 2025. Countries reporting data for different periods include Bulgaria (Aug 2024 - Dec 2024), Denmark (Aug 2024 - Oct 2024), Estonia (Aug 2024 - Dec 2024), Italy (Sep 2024 - Mar 2025), Netherlands (Aug 2024 - Jan 2025), Portugal (Aug 2024 - Mar 2025), Spain (Aug 2024 - Mar 2025), Sweden (Aug 2024 - Nov 2024), Cyprus (Aug 2024 - Mar 2025), UK (Oct 2024 - Feb 2025).

** COVID-19 vaccine coverage by target group: In some reporting countries, the COVID-19 vaccine was only recommended in people aged 65 years and above (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, and possibly others). Therefore, the vaccination coverage in this age group (60–69 years) needs to be interpreted with caution.

*** UK data refers specifically to immunosupressed individuals in England.