WEAKNESSES IN VACCINATION ADHERENCE DURING THE PANDEMIC AND THEIR CURRENT CONSEQUENCES

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a complex phenomenon, whose impacts went beyond the health sphere, also affecting social, political, economic, and cultural dimensions. Additionally, narrative disputes, ideological polarization, and the spread of misinformation weakened trust in science and health institutions, consequently negatively influencing vaccine adherence. Thus, vaccine hesitancy and refusal emerged as multifactorial and collective phenomena, associated with sociocultural, political, and structural determinants. As a result, in the post-pandemic period, reduced vaccination coverage favored the reemergence of vaccine-preventable diseases, increasing epidemiological risks, overburdening health services, and generating socioeconomic impacts. In this context, the research analyzes the challenges of vaccine adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying limiting factors and evaluating the epidemiological, social, and institutional impacts of low vaccination coverage in the post-pandemic period. To this end, the systematic review employed a rigorous methodology, with specific descriptors and searches in national and international databases, allowing the collection of relevant evidence on vaccine adherence. Moreover, it was found that low vaccine adherence resulted from misinformation, denialism, institutional weaknesses, and inequalities, leading to coverage declines, disease reemergence, overburdened services, and increased health inequities in the post-pandemic period. Therefore, it is concluded that reduced vaccination coverage compromises collective protection, overburdens health systems, deepens inequalities, and requires effective and sustainable public strategies to promote immunization and population health.