Dear IMPRINT members,
As 2020 draws to a close with hopefully a short break for all of us, Chrissie and I just wanted to share a few thoughts and wishes with our membership.
We know as healthcare workers and scientists that infectious diseases impact on our work- and this year we have felt this more than ever before: and not only did we have to worry about the patients and the science but also about our personal health and the health of our families - everyone has been touched either directly or indirectly. Our sympathies go out to all of you who might have suffered directly from COVID and might even have lost loved ones, be it directly through COVID or the collateral damage this has all caused.
We hope that despite of the pandemic, you have found silver linings in the work you have done, be it in special circumstances. Many of us have worked from home and found that to sometimes be more productive, office life might never be the same again, experiments can be done despite not being able to be in the lab every single day if there is an empowered team, one can meet people from all over the world during conferences now much more accessible to all- or be on zoom and still get on with e-mails and whatsapp’s- of course, we never do this!!
We cannot remember a year in which the word vaccine has been used on a daily basis by so many people, and it makes our work in this field even more important- in vaccine discovery, roll out, community involvement - you name it. The potential use of the COVID vaccines in pregnancy is a hot topic just now, the design of trials to make sure we get the much needed safety information is being thought about nationally and internationally, and IMPRINT network members have played a leading role in many committees and discussion forums to drive this topic in a responsible way - we are really grateful for these contributions.
Communication about vaccines is probably one of the most important areas as we move forward and the community engagement projects we have been able to fund and the tools they have developed will be useful for all of us- and we will learn more about what works and what doesn’t and how this differs locally in 2021, no doubt.
We are very happy that the network can continue until November 2021, as so much good work is still ongoing- not just COVID-directed, as we must not lose sight of all the other infections we can prevent with vaccines in pregnancy.
For now, we thank you all for being a voice in the room for mothers and babies and safe and effective vaccines and we would like to celebrate 2020 with all of you as a year of many challenges but also many achievements.
We look forward to 2021 with all of you and wish everyone a Merry Christmas for those who celebrate this festivity, Happy Holidays and a healthy and happy 2021.
Beate & Chrissie
Beate Kampmann
Professor of Paediatric Infection & Immunity
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Chrissie Jones
Associate Professor in Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology
University of Southampton
|
|
|
|
