To rapidly increase COVID-19 vaccine coverage in 2022, the health ministry in Somalia and its partners adopted a more responsive strategy including careful microplanning, better targeting of populations and providing people-centered vaccination services close to their homes through eight rounds of mass campaigns. These services were combined with childhood vaccination and basic health care provision using the existing polio network and community health workers. Additionally, a digital tool for recording COVID-19 vaccination data and a mobile phone-based electronic registration system were introduced.
This strategy helped the country achieve 42.1% coverage by the end of 2022, compared to a fully vaccinated coverage level of 5.5% at the end of 2021. Additionally, 84,600 zero-dose children received their first childhood vaccine during the integrated campaigns. The increased coverage has led to public health benefits that outweigh the investment in the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. The operational cost per dose administered was estimated at $5 in 2021 and $3 in 2022, including the cost of delivery, social mobilization and vaccinators.
Successful roll-out of adult vaccination is achievable even in a fragile and conflict-affected setting through implementation of a tailored contextualized approach. Key enabling factors include good microplanning, use of digital tools, better population-targeting, bundling vaccines together and delivering vaccination services close to people’s homes.
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