Global public health and health care systems are faced with the monumental task of vaccinating the world’s population. It’s time to share best practices. What can the United States learn from international vaccine introductions - and what can our lessons teach other countries?The new COVID-19 vaccine roll-out has roiled our US public health system, despite the ongoing emergency preparedness planning that all states have undertaken since 2003. Even with the experience of Influenza A (H1N1) our systems are challenged to equitably administer the COVID vaccine to 330 million people.
This panel will examine the issues that public health systems, health care systems, and communities are confronting around equity in vaccine distribution and reaching communities with limited access to the health system. We will share learnings from JSI’s extensive experience in successfully reaching those at “the last mile” in developing countries, and explain how those approaches can be adapted for equitable vaccine delivery here in the US. Based on our years of experience in vaccine distribution, including the
COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Project and supporting 75 new vaccine introductions in 24 countries, speakers will map out key approaches to reaching diverse, rural/remote communities, as well as under-resourced communities around the world. A few lessons learned from this experience can help shape the US-approach to the COVID-19 vaccine introduction: the importance of community mapping to identify those individuals in the target group to receive the vaccine; assessing cold chain equipment to plan the needed capacity based on the target population and roll-out introduction plan; and rapid response to fill in the cold chain and transport gaps for vaccine distribution. Participants can engage and exchange their challenges and lessons and learn from each other in this fast-moving environment.
