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. 2022 Jun;11(2):100594.
doi: 10.1016/j.hlpt.2021.100594. Epub 2021 Dec 24.

An analysis of the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in France, Israel, Italy and Spain and their impact on health and economic outcomes

Marcello Antonini  1 , Marwa Atef Eid  2 , Michelle Falkenbach  3 , Sharona Tsadok Rosenbluth  4 , Pablo Arija Prieto  5 , Shuli Brammli-Greenberg  6 , Peter McMeekin  7   8 , Francesco Paolucci  2   9
Affiliations

An analysis of the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in France, Israel, Italy and Spain and their impact on health and economic outcomes

Marcello Antonini et al. Health Policy Technol. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Objectives: This paper presents an overview of the vaccination campaigns in France, Israel, Italy and Spain during the first eleven months from the first COVID-19 vaccine approval (Dec 2020 - Nov 2021). These four countries were chosen as they share similar socioeconomic, and epidemiological profiles and adopted similar vaccination strategies.

Methods: A rapid review of available primary data from each country was conducted. Data were collected from official government documents whenever possible, supplemented by information from international databases and local reports. The data were analysed via descriptive and graphical analysis to identify common patterns as well as significant divergences in the structural changes of countries' healthcare systems during the pandemic, outcomes of the vaccination roll-out, and their impact on contextual policies.

Results: The four countries adopted similar interventions to protect and strengthen their healthcare systems. The effective coordination between the governance levels, ability to ensure a large supply of doses, and trust towards health authorities were amongst the determinants for more successful vaccination outcomes. The analysis reports a positive impact of the COVID-19 vaccines on epidemiological, political and economic outcomes. We observed some evidence of a negative association between increased vaccine coverage and fatalities and hospitalisation trends.

Conclusions: The strengths and weaknesses of COVID-19 pandemic crisis management along with the various strategies surrounding the vaccination roll-out campaigns may yield lessons for policymakers amidst such decisions, including for future pandemics.

Lay summary: This paper presents an overview of the vaccination campaigns in France, Israel, Italy and Spain during the first eleven months following approval of the first COVID-19 vaccine (Dec 2020 - Nov 2021). These four countries were chosen as they share similar demographic, socioeconomic, and epidemiological profiles, and adopted similar vaccinations strategies. Effective coordination between governance levels, ability to ensure a large supply of doses, and trust towards health authorities were amongst the determinants for successful outcomes of vaccination campaigns. The strengths and weaknesses of COVID-19 pandemic crisis management, along with the various strategies surrounding the vaccination roll-out campaigns may yield lessons for policymakers amidst such decisions, including for future pandemics.

Keywords: COVID-19; Health financing; Health outcomes; Health policy; Pandemic; Vaccines.

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Figures

Fig. 1:
Fig. 1
Epidemiological trend and vaccination rollout in France, Israel, Italy and Spain. Note: The fully vaccinated population represents the population that received the full cycle of the vaccine before the introduction of the booster. The share of the population vaccinated is based on the total population in each country. Accordingly, the percentage of fully vaccinated in Israel can be downward biased due to a relatively larger share of the young population that is currently ineligible for the COVID-19 vaccines.
Fig. 2:
Fig. 2
Distribution of fatalities before and after vaccines approval (2020 vs 2021).
Fig. 3:
Fig. 3
ICU admissions trend before and after vaccines approval (2020 vs 2021).
Fig. 4:
Fig. 4
Vaccination roll-out and case fatality rate in France, Israel, Italy and Spain.
Fig. 5:
Fig. 5
Comparison between the trend of vaccinated population and policy stringency (OxCGRT) in France, Israel, Italy, Spain.
Fig. 6:
Fig. 6
Unemployment rate and vaccination trend in France, Israel, Italy and Spain (latest data available).
Fig. 7:
Fig. 7
Impact of the number of fatalities on vaccination uptake (date 26th September).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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