CHANGES IN ROUTINE VACCINATION COVERAGE IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Lack of access to primary health care and a distraction from routine health care leading to increased morbidity and mortality. As COVID-19 has caused a breakdown in immunization systems, the future of the relentless fight to prevent vaccine-preventable deaths is at stake. The aim was to study the change in the level of routine vaccination coverage in the Republic of Kazakhstan in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. An analytical  study of the official data of the scientific and practical Center for Sanitary and Epidemiological Expertise and Monitoring for 2020 and 2021 was carried out. Compared to 2020, the level of routine vaccination coverage in Kazakhstan in 2021 has increased. Immunization coverage rates for children under 1 year of age in the Republic of Kazakhstan dropped significantly during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic and only partially began to recover during the remaining months of 2020. Compared to 2021, the difference was already significant.