COVID-19 VACCINATION IN HUMANITARIAN SETTINGS
Bringing COVID-19 vaccination close to the most vulnerable
Around the world, Health Clusters, led by WHO, are mobilizing partners to target the populations of concern (such as internally displaced people, returnees, migrants regardless of legal status, refugees, people living in non-government controlled, insecure or hard to reach areas) and bring the vaccination close to the most vulnerable. This story features Health Cluster partners' innovative strategies to ensure vaccines are supplied and administered to all populations of concern in multiple settings.
Reaching 70% vaccine coverage for COVID-19 - What will it take to reach people facing humanitarian crises?
Ensuring populations across the world are vaccinated for COVID-19 is critical to ending the pandemic by increasing immunity, decreasing deaths, and reducing the risk of new variants emerging. The global strategy to reach 70% vaccination coverage by June 2022 requires a coordinated and concerted effort to ensure no one is left behind including the most marginalized and those facing humanitarian crises. Currently, these populations face the most inequity.
Additional resources on vaccine equity
Risk Communication and Community Engagement guidance on COVID-19 vaccines for marginalized populations. RCCE Collective Service, 2021.
LATEST RESOURCES
Enhancing Readiness for Omicron (B.1.1.529): Technical Brief and Priority Actions for Member States.
On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern (VOC), on the basis of advice from WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution. The variant has been given the name Omicron.
Injection safety in the context of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination. WHO, November 2021.
Key planning recommendations for mass gatherings in the context of COVID-19. WHO, November 2021.
Co-administration of seasonal inactivated influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. WHO, November 2021.
SocialNet: Social and behavioral insights COVID-19 data collection tool for Africa. OpenWHO, December 2021.
This desk review summarizes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender-based violence (GBV) health-related services in Bangladesh (Cox’s Bazar), Iraq, and Northeastern Nigeria.
COVID-19 VACCINE INTRODUCTION TOOLKIT
Provides guidance and tools for partners to prepare for and implement COVID-19 vaccination. Recent useful guidance includes:
Interim recommendations for an extended primary series with an additional vaccine dose for COVID-19 vaccination in immunocompromised persons – WHO, Released 26 October 2021.
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, COMIRNATY® (Tozinameran) Update – WHO, Released September 21,2021.
Training on Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19mRNA Vaccine COMIRNATY® (Tozinameran) – WHO, Released September 21,2021.
COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Technical brief delivery strategies options – TechNet 21, Released, 2021.
Interim recommendations for use of the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine against COVID-19 – WHO, Released 19 November 2021.
Interim recommendations for use of the Bharat Biotech BBV152 COVAXIN® vaccine against COVID-19 – WHO, Released 3 November 2021.
Interim recommendations for use of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine BIBP developed by China National Biotec Group (CNBG), Sinopharm – WHO, Released 28 October 2021.
Interim recommendations for use of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac, developed by Sinovac – WHO, Released 21 October 2021.
SAGE - Product specific documentation
See here for the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization recommendations for use of different vaccines.
Keep yourself up to date
WHO RCCE Collective Service, please sign-up for updates here
WHO COVID-19 vaccine newsletter, please sign-up for updates here
WHO COVID-19 digital content newsletter, please sign-up for updates here
WHO Infodemic Management newsletter, please sign-up for updates here
COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, please read here the Weekly Operational Update.
COVID-19 TASK TEAM
The GHC COVID-19 Task Team established a vaccine working group and is supporting two workstreams: first to monitor and track information on vaccination roll-out in humanitarian settings; and second to ensure shared learning and development of key messages.
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