On September 19th, 2023, the Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA), the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC-UK), and the International Longevity Centre USA (ILC-USA) convened a roundtable discussion alongside the 2023 UNGA High Level Meeting to discuss the essential role that life-course immunization should play in pandemic preparedness.
The discussion brought together experts on healthy aging, pharmacology, drug and vaccine development, physicians, and policy experts to consider:
- how investment into routine immunization across the life course can be encouraged, including for both care providers and recipients in long-term care settings
- the role of routine immunization in healthy aging;
- how capacity and infrastructure can be built to deliver vaccination and tackle inequalities of access;
- and strategies and barriers to uptake, awareness, and implementation.
This policy brief outlines three key recommendations that emerged from the expert discussion.