Regional Support to Address the Outbreak of COVID-19 and Potential Outbreaks of Other Communicable Diseases (ADB)

Challenge

To understand the learnings and challenges regarding COVID-19 vaccination delivery mechanisms across the region. To summarize the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on routine immunization, other health programs, and broader health system capacities. To develop country typologies that will help guide strategies to optimize equitable and efficient vaccine delivery. To identify and document the issues related to health worker burnout and what steps countries have taken to address those issues with a particular focus on vaccine delivery workforce. To analyze the impacts and learnings of APVAX in the Asia-Pacific region. To synthesize, contextualize and share evidence regarding COVID-19 vaccine safety, efficacy and effectiveness for vaccines in use in the Asian region. To periodically update and showcase regulatory, safety, efficacy and effectiveness data for COVID-19 vaccines via a data visualization platform.

Approach

• Provide a synthesis of challenges and learnings related to COVID-19 vaccination delivery from countries that have already rolled out vaccines (as reported in media, news outlets, and communicated through other reliable channels).
• Summarize the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on routine immunization programs, spill-over effects on other healthcare programs and on the broader health system capacities (e.g., cold chain, logistic management, and human resources), and to discuss implications for immunization and healthcare programs.
• Document through case study reports the experiences of the ADB-selected DMCs that describe the range of vaccine delivery strategies being pursued across the region and propose policy recommendations about strengthening vaccine delivery during COVID-19 and the post-COVID recovery phase.
• Conduct a scoping review and landscape analysis of health worker burnout concerns including whether and where it has been discussed and the steps countries are taking to measure and address it.
• Produce a descriptive report summarizing APVAX’s impact and lessons learned in Asia and the Pacific.
• We will synthesize evidence regarding COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness data in an accessible format (e.g., a short technical report) that is routinely shared with DMCs.
• Regularly provide updates on COVID-19 vaccine introduction, regulatory status of different vaccines, as well as vaccine efficacy and emerging safety and effectiveness on a data visualization platform.