Retaining the best

At last, we may be able to plan for a post-pandemic era, albeit with a watchful eye for the re-emergence of mutated versions of SARS-CoV-2 now and in the years to come, with particular vigilance during the winter months, when coronaviruses spread more easily. To date, the mass vaccination programme has demonstrated what can be achieved with good information about the benefits of vaccination and efficient scheduling of appointments with outreach vaccination arrangements for the housebound. Retaining high COVID-19 vaccination uptake across the whole population, beyond the nine priority groups and among the vaccine hesitant, will require continued effort as the UK returns to normality, with increased social distractions and lower risk perceptions of COVID-19. Over the years, much has been learnt from influenza vaccine hesitancy (Larson et al, 2014), and it will be especially important to maintain consistent public health messaging about the personal and societal value of COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations and other protective measures.