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Within PHIRI, the Population Health Information Research Infrastructure, a Rapid Exchange Forum (REF) is organized regularly every two weeks or as needed, addressing urgent questions and current developments in population health during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. In this one hour meeting, the participants belonging to European public health institutes, Ministries of Health, research institutions and universities as well as EU-level stakeholders answer questions and discuss experiences from their own countries related to the COVID-19 pandemic and other population health issues that require rapid responses. Each meeting is organized around a topic or set of topics of timely relevance to the participating countries, and answers to the questions are shared during the meeting as well as in writing immediately before or after the meetings. This allows a rapid exchange of information across countries to learn from each other’s challenges and best practices, and compare e.g. vaccination-, testing-, and communication strategies, reactions to new virus variants, mortality indicators, long-term pandemic monitoring and surveillance, and impact evaluations of the pandemic. The answers to questions discussed during the REF meetings are uploaded to the Health Information Portal at the latest by the end of the week in which each meeting takes place.

Please use the search function below to browse the content of previous REF meetings. In order to search for an exact phrase, you can utilize quotation marks around your search term.

Title Question Date Document(s)
19th Rapid Exchange Forum: Vaccine hesitancy

Understanding and addressing vaccine hesitancy

  • Are there studies/surveys in your country aimed at identifying individual reasons for vaccine hesitancy? (please also share links to international studies that you are aware of)
  • Has your country taken specific actions to enhance people’s willingness to get vaccinated? (e.g. innovative/targeted communication approaches; reward-based nudging approaches)
13-Sep-2021
18th Rapid Exchange Forum: School start

School starts in autumn. With regard to delta, recommendations for adolescents to get vaccinated, progress of vaccination, etc.:

1. Are you preparing/discussing specific measures/strategies for the start of schools in autumn (Y/N) ?

2. Which measures are in place / planned for schools in your country / region?

  • Different rules apply for children <12 years and those >12 years: Y/N
  • Split classes / alternate terms: Y/N
  • Mandatory face-masks: Y/N
  • Regular testing of school-kids: Y/N
  • Regular testing of teachers/staff: Y/N
  • Distance teaching/learning: Y/N
30-Aug-2021
17th Rapid Exchange Forum: Delta variant

Delta variant

Has your country implemented new/adapted measures specifically to address the threat posed by the spread of the Delta variant? (Or are such measures planned?)

02-Aug-2021
16th Rapid Exchange Forum: Vaccination compliance

Vaccination compliance

  • What is the COVID-19 vaccination rate in your country?
  • What is the level of COVID-19 vaccination compliance in your country?
  • Are measures either in place or planned for enhancing public trust in COVID-19 vaccination?
05-Jul-2021
15th Rapid Exchange Forum: Green passes state-of-play

State-of-play of travel certificates / green passes: Updates on travel certificates in the countries

21-Jun-2021
14th Rapid Exchange Forum: Long COVID updates

How does your country organise the treatment/management of long COVID patients?

Are there specialised clinics/departments/centres or are concepts for their creation being developed? If so, please provide details, such as:

  • Which professional groups (specialists, nurses, psychologists, …) and disciplines are involved?
  • How can individuals access the clinics (walk-in, referral …)?
  • Are the clinics stand-alone entities or part of larger institutions such as hospitals or primary care centres?
07-Jun-2021
Rapid Exchange Forum EUPHW 2021 Edition: Validity of vaccination certificates

This stand-alone EUPHW special edition of the Rapid Exchange Forum took place in the scope of the European Public Health Week (EUPHW) 2021, and attendance was open to the interested public.

What are the current criteria regarding validity of vaccination certificates for travel purposes in your country?

  • If there are differences between incoming and outgoing travellers, please specify.
  • If bilateral agreements are in place, please specify.
17-May-2021
13th Rapid Exchange Forum: Recovery certificates

Are you planning to accept recovery certificates for travel purposes, despite the data on reinfection risk?

  • If yes, please share further information.
10-May-2021
2nd Special Edition Rapid Exchange Forum

Concurrent with the 12th Rapid Exchange Forum, the second Special Edition REF took place. To avoid duplication of work, we believe it is highly relevant to be aware of other international activities, mechanisms and expert groups already in place, or established during the pancemic, which exchange information on population health developments that require rapid action. 

To shed light on such activities, REF Special Editions invite key guests from relevant international organisations to report on their main activities, boards/expert groups, and different COVID-19 actions.

The guest speakers for the second Special Edition REF were:

  • The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (OBS) – Marina Karanikolos
  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – Emily Hewlett 
  • World Health Organisation (WHO) – Boris Pavlin
26-Apr-2021
12th Rapid Exchange Forum: Re-opening pilots, school tests and mental health

1. Are there controlled/piloting projects in your country with the aim of testing options for re-opening steps in the sectors culture/sports/entertainment/gastronomy?

For example: despite current lockdown measures a ‘mass event’ is organized where all attendees have to present a negative test result. If yes, please describe finished/ongoing/planned projects and/or re-opening concepts for these sectors in your country.

2. Are there any studies about childrens' perceptions and mental health regarding testing children in schools?

26-Apr-2021