Bridgetown, Barbados – 15 October 2020. The development and implementation of a COVID-19 vaccine is envisioned as a key intervention to significantly reduce the threat of the virus. To prepare countries for introduction of a vaccine, the PAHO Office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries held a virtual meeting to discuss the development of national plans for introduction of a COVID-19 vaccine.
While progress is being made in the development and production of vaccines against COVID-19, there are immediate actions that countries can take to prepare for the implementation and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines. Though much information on the potential vaccines is still unknown, such as cold chain needs, number of doses to administer for adequate protection, administration route as well as vaccine safety and effectiveness etc.; with the information currently available and with the assumption that vaccines will be available in the countries of the region during the first quarter of 2021, it is important to start preparing the infrastructure and key components of the vaccine implementation plan, prioritizing areas in which progress can be made.
Chief Medical Officers, Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) Managers, members of the National Immunization Committee, Members of the COVID-19 response team, Primary Health Care Managers and Pharmaceutical Service Managers were invited, approximately 55 persons participated.
Moderator, and one of the facilitators for the webinar Dr Darlene Omeir, PAHO Advisor Family and Community Health, welcomed participants and outlined the general objectives of the webinar, which were to:
- Update countries on the advancement towards a COVID-19 vaccine and the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility.
- Provide a general planning roadmap to Member States and territories to signal what coordination and management mechanisms need to be established to adequately prepare for COVID-19 vaccine introduction.
- Offer a structured framework of key tasks against which Member States and territories can self-monitor their readiness progress.
In his remarks, Dr Yitades Gebre, PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries said that “effective vaccine diagnostics and therapeutics are very important and vital to ending the ending the pandemic.” Dr Gebre noted that countries must be prepared once there is an effective, efficient, and safe vaccine, emphasizing that the use and deployment of the vaccine would be very important.
Following his opening remarks Dr Gebre delivered a presentation on the COVAX Facility.
Dr Omeir also delivered two presentations during the meeting, an Update on COVID-19 Vaccines Development and Guidelines and Preparing a National Plan for COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction.
Dr Karen Broome, PAHO Advisor Immunization, shared a comprehensive outline of the COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction Readiness Assessment Tool (VIRAT) with participants.
