HHS, drugmakers roll out plans for fall Covid, flu and RSV three-vaccine season

Last fall’s virus tripledemic is giving way to this year’s three-vaccine season. And the Department of Health and Human Services says it is pulling out all the stops to make sure as many Americans who need them get Covid-19, flu and RSV immunizations this fall.

Meanwhile, pharma vaccine makers are plotting their own marketing and communications strategies around Covid vaccines.

A CDC official said the US is in its “strongest position yet” with the vaccines against the trio of viruses that causes the majority of hospitalizations in the fall and winter, along with broader protective immunity and test availability. The agency estimated that 97% of people in the US aged 16 and older have Covid-19 protective immunity through vaccination, infection or both, but added that people still need updated vaccines for protection against new variants, including the now-dominant strain EG.5 and also FL.1.5.1.

Mandy Cohen

The key, though, is making sure people take advantage of all the tools. The CDC is planning to target advertising campaigns and is also working with partners to encourage people to get the vaccinations, an official told Endpoints News.

HHS’ communication and education programs are in the works and include in-person and video outreach from leaders across its agencies to discuss how Americans can protect themselves and their families.

In a video series that began Friday, CDC director Mandy Cohen tackles common questions about Covid-19 infections and updated vaccines in the new “Check In with Dr. Cohen” series. In the first video, she notes the CDC expects the updated vaccines by the middle of September.

Along with communication campaigns, HHS is gearing up outreach efforts to make sure that uninsured and underinsured people have access to the vaccines. Free Covid tests from the Strategic National Stockpile will continue to be delivered during the season to long-term assisted living facilities and federally qualified health centers, along with schools and libraries.

With the end of the public health emergency, this is the first year in which vaccine makers have to take a bigger role in promoting the shots. Covid-19 mRNA vaccine maker Moderna recently launched the “No Time for 19” awareness campaign, including a TV commercial that warns against the ongoing dangers of Covid-19, which is still “among the top 5 leading causes of death in the US, right after heart disease and cancer.”

“The market dynamics have changed … so it’s important that manufacturers take on that role of educating consumers about getting vaccinated,” Moderna chief brand officer Kate Cronin said.

Kate Cronin

The “No Time for 19” effort will run through the season, along with its coordinated mRNAge initiative and a newer social video influencer campaign with Cleo Abram, an “optimistic explainer” who talks about mRNA and how it works in a five-part video series across social media, including on Moderna’s YouTube channel.

HHS also announced on Friday that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting for discussion and a vote on this year’s Covid vaccines will be held Sept. 12.

vaccines
pharma