VillageReach, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
VillageReach, Seattle, USA.
Vaccine. 2024 Nov 14;42 Suppl 5:126392. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.126392. Epub 2024 Oct 5.
In response to the challenge of maintaining COVID-19 vaccination coverage amidst the pandemic, VillageReach, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health Prevention and Hygiene in Kinshasa, DRC, integrated COVID-19 vaccination with routine immunization services at two primary healthcare facilities. This initiative, launched in July 2022, represented the first of its kind in the DRC, aiming to assess the effectiveness and scalability of a multimodal vaccination approach.
Through a rapid appraisal involving key informant interviews and analysis of pre- and post-integration service delivery data, this case study explores the operational dynamics and outcomes of integrating COVID-19 and routine immunizations.
Results demonstrated that the integrated approach not only maintained COVID-19 vaccine coverage but also significantly enhanced routine immunization uptake, particularly among under-immunized and zero-dose children. Overall, the vaccination sites, outreach, and integrated health facilities administered 229,983 (33 %) of COVID-19 vaccines in Kinshasa, of which 53 % were referred by community health workers. Additionally, 998 under-immunized children received routine immunizations, of whom 126 were zero-dose children. Key success factors included sustained community health worker engagement, neighborhood-specific strategies, accessible vaccination points, and robust data management. The findings suggest that such integrative strategies can effectively bolster immunization coverage in urban poor communities, offering valuable insights for similar initiatives in the DRC and beyond.
This study advocates for sustained investment in innovative immunization models to strengthen primary healthcare systems post-pandemic.
为应对大流行期间维持 COVID-19 疫苗接种覆盖率的挑战，VillageReach 与刚果民主共和国金沙萨公共卫生预防和卫生部合作，将 COVID-19 疫苗接种与两个初级保健设施的常规免疫服务相结合。这一举措于 2022 年 7 月启动，是刚果民主共和国首例此类举措，旨在评估多模式疫苗接种方法的有效性和可扩展性。
通过涉及关键知情人访谈和整合前后服务提供数据的快速评估，本案例研究探讨了整合 COVID-19 和常规免疫的运营动态和结果。
结果表明，综合方法不仅维持了 COVID-19 疫苗的覆盖率，还显著提高了常规免疫的接种率，特别是在免疫不足和零剂量儿童中。总体而言，接种点、外展和综合卫生设施在金沙萨接种了 229983 剂（33%）COVID-19 疫苗，其中 53%是由社区卫生工作者转诊的。此外，998 名免疫不足的儿童接受了常规免疫接种，其中 126 名是零剂量儿童。关键成功因素包括持续的社区卫生工作者参与、针对特定社区的策略、可及的接种点和强大的数据管理。研究结果表明，这种综合策略可以有效地提高城市贫困社区的免疫覆盖率，为刚果民主共和国和其他地区的类似举措提供了有价值的见解。
本研究倡导在大流行后持续投资于创新免疫模式，以加强初级保健系统。
