Seasonal influenza vaccination in the Americas: Progress and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Vaccination is one of the most effective measures to prevent influenza illness and its complications; influenza vaccination remained important during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent additional burden on health systems strained by COVID-19 demand.

Objectives: We describe policies, coverage, and progress of seasonal influenza vaccination programs in the Americas during 2019-2021 and discuss challenges in monitoring and maintaining influenza vaccination coverage among target groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We used data on influenza vaccination policies and vaccination coverage reported by countries/territories via the electronic Joint Reporting Form on Immunization (eJRF) for 2019-2021.