Closing the COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Gap Among Health Workers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

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Health workers need to get vaccinated for COVID-19 to protect both themselves and others. In their role as frontline workers, they have higher exposure to the virus, and they have a powerful influence on public vaccine attitudes and behavior. Therefore, health workers are a priority group for COVID-19 vaccination, yet many still have not taken the vaccine, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In countries where overall vaccination rates are still quite low, health workers may also face more barriers to getting vaccinated. Public health programs thus need innovative approaches to support health workers’ acceptance and uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Want to learn more? Download a companion piece detailing the solutions and watch the Closing the COVID-19 Vaccine Gap webinar (both available in English and French).

Source: Closing the COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Gap Among Health Workers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

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    Evaluating expectations from social and behavioral science about COVID-19 and lessons for the next pandemic

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    This review presents a comprehensive assessment of 742 scientific articles on human behavior during COVID-19. Two independent teams evaluated 19 substantive policy recommendations (“claims”) on potentially critical aspects of behaviors during the pandemic drawn from the most widely cited behavioral science papers on COVID-19.

    Source: Evaluating expectations from social and behavioral science about COVID-19 and lessons for the next pandemic

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      The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemics on the Development of Health Risk Communication: Challenges and Opportunities

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      Starting from an analysis of communication in Italy during the COVID-19 emergency period (February–June 2020), this paper provides an overview of the main challenges and opportunities for communication during pandemics. The purpose of this study is to perform a literature review contributing to the identification of practical recommendations for the improvement of current risk communication strategies.

      Source: The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemics on the Development of Health Risk Communication: Challenges and Opportunities

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        Clinical features of COVID-19 for integration of COVID-19 into influenza surveillance: A systematic review

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        This review aims to assess whether the common clinical features of COVID-19 have changed to the point that the criteria used to identify both COVID-19 and influenza in surveillance programs needs to be altered.

        Source: Clinical features of COVID-19 for integration of COVID-19 into influenza surveillance: A systematic review

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          Mental Health GAP Intervention Guide

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          The ‘mhGAP Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) for mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders in non-specialist health settings’ is for use by doctors, nurses, other health workers as well as health planners and managers. The Intervention Guide presents the integrated management of priority MNS conditions using algorithms for clinical decision making. Additionally, it comprises a streamlined and simplified clinical assessment that includes an algorithm for follow-up; modules on Essential Care and Practice, Psychoses, Child and Adolescent Mental and Behavioural Disorders and Disorders due to Substance Use.

          Source: Mental Health GAP Intervention Guide

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          HIV and COVID-19 Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Repository of Resources

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          The Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) project has curated a collection of SBC materials and tools developed by its local project teams and used across its country programs to support HIV prevention, care, and treatment as well as COVID-19-related programming.

          Source: HIV and COVID-19 Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Repository of Resources

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            WHO SAGE Roadmap Priority-Use Groups for COVID-19 Vaccine

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            This revised Roadmap takes into account increasing vaccine availability, vaccine coverage rates, and the evolving epidemiological situation including COVID-19 variants of concern.

            To assist countries in developing recommendations for optimized use of vaccines against COVID-19, priority-use groups for vaccination (both primary series and booster doses) are identified based on epidemiological scenarios, public health goals, and vaccine coverage scenarios.

            High priority is: Elderly, health workers, immunocompromised. The next tier down, high priority, is adults with co-morbidities, pregnant persons, teachers and other essential workers, disadvantaged socioeconomic subpopulations at higher risk (could be migrants, etc).

            Source: WHO SAGE Roadmap Priority-Use Groups for COVID-19 Vaccine

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              WHO and UNICEF Lay Out Considerations for COVID Vaccine Integration

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              The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF are developing a document outlining considerations for incorporating COVID-19 vaccination into national immunization programs and primary care.

              Source: WHO and UNICEF Lay Out Considerations for COVID Vaccine Integration

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                Young Adults’ Responses to an African and US-Based COVID-19 Edutainment Miniseries: Real-Time Qualitative Analysis of Online Social Media Engagement

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                MTV Staying Alive Foundation created the educational entertainment miniseries MTV Shuga: Alone Together. In 70 short episodes released daily on YouTube, Alone Together aimed to disseminate timely and accurate information to increase young people’s knowledge, motivation, and actions to prevent COVID-19. We sought to identify Alone Together viewer’s perspectives on the global COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdowns by examining the words, conversations, experiences, and emotions expressed on social media in response to the Alone Together episodes. We also assessed how viewers used the series and its online community as a source of support during the global pandemic.

                Source: Young Adults’ Responses to an African and US-Based COVID-19 Edutainment Miniseries: Real-Time Qualitative Analysis of Online Social Media Engagement

                  Views 644