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- Title
Community-Based Approaches to Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Demand: Lessons Learned from Four UNICEF-Supported Interventions.
- Authors
Hopkins, Kathryn L.; Underwood, Talya; Iddrisu, Iddi; Woldemeskel, Hanna; Bon, Helena Ballester; Brouwers, Symen; De Almeida, Sofia; Fol, Natalie; Malhotra, Alka; Prasad, Shalini; Bharadwaj, Sowmyaa; Bhatnagar, Aarunima; Knobler, Stacey; Lihemo, Gloria
- Abstract
Vaccination is critical to minimize serious illness and death from COVID-19. Yet uptake of COVID-19 vaccines remains highly variable, particularly among marginalized communities. This article shares lessons learned from four UNICEF interventions that supported Governments to generate acceptance and demand for COVID-19 vaccines in Zambia, Iraq, Ghana, and India. In Zambia, community rapid assessment provided invaluable real-time insights around COVID-19 vaccination and allowed the identification of population segments that share beliefs and motivations regarding COVID-19 vaccination. Findings were subsequently used to develop recommendations tailored to the different personas. In Iraq, a new outreach approach (3iS: Intensification of Integrated Immunization) utilized direct community engagement to deliver health messages and encourage service uptake, resulting in over 4.4 million doses of COVID-19 and routine immunization vaccines delivered in just 8 months. In Ghana, a human-centered design initiative was applied to co-develop community-informed strategies to improve COVID-19 vaccination rates. In India, a risk communication and community engagement initiative reached half a million people over six months, translating into a 25% increase in vaccination rates. These shared approaches can be leveraged to improve COVID-19 vaccination coverage and close gaps in routine immunization across diverse and marginalized communities.
- Subjects
GHANA; IRAQ; COVID-19 pandemic; VACCINATION status; COVID-19 vaccines; UNICEF; COMMUNITIES; VACCINATION coverage; SUPPORTED employment
- Publication
Vaccines, 2023, Vol 11, Issue 7, p1180
- ISSN
2076-393X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/vaccines11071180