![A clinician injects a vaccine into the upper arm of an elderly woman. Both individuals are wearing face masks.](/sites/default/files/styles/freeform_scaled/public/2024-07/covid_19_preparedness_think_tank_article_dec_2023.png?itok=co3zdzVu)
In May 2022, leading experts met for the DCRI Think Tank Preparing for the Next Pandemic: From EUA to Beyond to discuss how thought leaders from academia, clinical practice, the pharmaceutical industry, patient advocacy, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can better prepare for future pandemics. Their resulting insights were published in the article Lessons From COVID-19 for Pandemic Preparedness: Proceedings From a Multistakeholder Think Tank in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
The article explores the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on the severity and outcomes of breakthrough infections, including a detailed analysis of how vaccination influenced the clinical course of COVID-19. The authors outline implications for public health strategies and future vaccination campaigns, including 10 key steps for improved and equitable future pandemic responses.