Adopting Lessons from the Innovative COVID-19 Vaccination Approaches – An Official Virtual Side Event of CPHIA 2023
As part of the official virtual side event held during the 3rd International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2023), Sydani Group hosted a side session titled “Transitioning from Surge to Sustainability: Adopting Lessons from the Innovative COVID-19 Vaccination Approaches to Scale Routine Immunization Uptake at PHC levels”.
The Sydani Group worked assiduously with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and Integrated Health Project – (IHP) Palladium funded by USAID to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations in Nigerian states with extremely low coverage.
The Sydani team deployed innovation strategies to mitigate challenges contributing to low RI coverage in Nigeria. These strategies helped to sustainably transition the surge recorded with COVID-19 vaccination into RI programs. The side event allowed participants to understand the innovative approaches deployed on the project, successes, and lessons learned and to identify how these strategies could be harnessed to strengthen routine immunization programs. Lastly, participants were able to ask questions and share their experiences.
It was an interesting conversation that had in attendance key stakeholders from USAID-IHP, NPHCDA, SPHCDA, and other partners who constituted members of the panel discussion. The keynote speaker, Prof. Jonah Musa, delved into the significance of adopting lessons from innovative COVID-19 vaccination approaches to scale routine immunization uptake at primary healthcare (PHC) levels. Here is a comprehensive overview of the main points discussed during the keynote presentation:
- Significance of Vaccination: Prof. Jonah emphasized that vaccination is a powerful tool in reducing, eliminating, and possibly eradicating diseases like COVID-19. He highlighted its cost-effectiveness, preventing morbidity, and needless hospitalizations, reducing healthcare costs, mortality, and loss of productivity.
- Impact of COVID-19 Vaccination on Global Deaths: Globally, COVID-19 vaccine coverage of 38% averted about 14.4 million deaths. The impact was significant for both high-income countries (HIC) and low- to middle-income countries (LMIC), underlining the direct correlation between vaccination efforts and mortality reduction.
- Implementation Science: Prof. Jonah highlighted the importance of implementation research in ensuring sustainability. He further stated the need to advocate for policymakers to invest in implementation science training which will ease the economic burden of some projects.
The panel discussants answered critical questions that shed light on the success of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and strategies for sustaining the surge in routine immunization (RI). Here are some of the key takeaways:
- Government’s Perspective on Success: The Nigerian government was praised for achieving Africa’s best COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The question explored how the government felt about this success and what it meant for the country.
- Factors Contributing to Success: The panelists discussed the factors that contributed to the success of the Nigerian COVID-19 vaccination campaign and talked about lessons learned that the government is applying to ensure the sustenance of the surge in routine immunization.
- Overcoming Challenges in Routine Immunization: Identification of significant challenges faced during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and how experiences can guide efforts to overcome barriers in routine immunization, particularly in regions with historically low vaccination rates.
- Ensuring Equitable Access: Exploring how strategies deployed for COVID-19 vaccination campaigns can be adapted to ensure equitable access to routine immunization across diverse populations.
- Community Engagement and Vaccine Hesitancy: Examining the role of community engagement in the success of COVID-19 vaccination efforts and how similar community-centered approaches can be applied to boost confidence and uptake in routine immunization, especially in areas with vaccine hesitancy.
The insights shared during the 2023 CPHIA official virtual side event underscore the importance of leveraging the lessons learned from innovative COVID-19 vaccination approaches to strengthen routine immunization efforts in Nigeria. As Nigeria transitions from the surge in COVID-19 vaccination to sustainable models, the collaborative efforts of governments, funders, and communities will play a pivotal role in ensuring the continued success of immunization programs at the PHC levels. The lessons learned from both successes and challenges pave the way for a more resilient and equitable future in public health.
To watch the full video, Click Here
