From public healthcare centers to community pharmacies: the new Portuguese seasonal vaccination strategy

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered how countries organize their vaccination strategies. The ongoing discussion now focuses on how these strategies can be integrated into routine vaccination programs. In this context, we illustrate how Portugal has incorporated influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations into community pharmacies in the aftermath of the pandemic. The Portuguese strategy for the 2023-2024 vaccination campaign was led by the Executive Board of the Portuguese National Health Service (SNS) and the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health, in collaboration with over 12 public and private institutions. This strategy included, for the first time, community pharmacies alongside the primary care clinics of the SNS units as the main vaccination points and aligned with the World Health Organization recommendations toward achieving universal health coverage, as it utilized community pharmacies' broad geographical accessibility. Our experience was a success in several metrics. This analysis also highlighted areas for improvement and provided lessons for future campaigns.