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COVID-19; CAMEROON KICKS-OFF OF 4TH ROUND OF NATIONAL VACCINATION CAMPAIGN.


The Government of Cameroon, concerned about the well-being of its populations, has launched the 4th round of the National Vaccination Campaign against the Covid-19 pandemic. This other round is organized at the backdrop of the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted economies and retarded social progress in countries around the world. Above all, it exposed the fragility of health systems and their inability to adapt and respond effectively to unexpected crises.

 



For Cameroon, the response to this pandemic must be transformed into an opportunity to strengthen the health system, improve preparedness for future health crises, and above all to affirm its participation in global, regional and national mechanisms for expressing solidarity and international cooperation.

 

The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with other partners and governments, has supported global efforts that have resulted in the rapid development of effective vaccines against Covid-19.  The COVAX facility was established to ensure equitable access to these vaccines for all countries of the world.  At the regional level, the African Union initiative was also created with the ambition of covering at least 60% of the African population by 2022 through a mechanism for pooling vaccine costs and demand among member states. At the national level, Cameroon has taken advantage of bilateral cooperation with other state partners and international institutions for better access to funding and vaccine doses.

 

Cameroon received the first doses of vaccine on 11 April 2021 thanks to bilateral cooperation with the People’s Republic of China. Vaccination was introduced into the response mechanism on 12 April 2021 as an emergency with a minimal level of preparation given the epidemiological context of April 2021, marked by the 2e wave of the pandemic. Subsequently, Cameroon received additional doses of vaccine from the COVAX facility and the African Union Initiative, which now enables it to meet the current demand for vaccines by counting on subsequent increasing allocations.

 

In the initial phase of vaccination, the priority target groups of health workers, people living with co- morbidities and people aged 50 and over were targeted exclusively. Subsequently, the government decided  to  extend  the  offer  of  vaccination  to  people  aged  18  and  over,  without  changing  the above-mentioned order of priority. To this end, 244 vaccination centres were selected to offer daily vaccination services in all 190 health districts and three rounds of intensified vaccination campaigns with deployment of mobile teams in all regions were organized.

 

As of 28 February 2022, 1,273,012 doses have been administered for 1,074,355 people who have received at least one dose of vaccine, i.e. 7.8% of the target population, and 813,063 people who have been fully vaccinated, i.e. 5.9% of the target population. 2.9% of the total population of Cameroon is fully immunized.



The overall goal of this fourth round is to reduce morbidity and mortality from Covid-19 by vaccinating people aged 18 years and above with one of the three available vaccines.

Specifically, this other round of mass vaccination campaign against Covid-19 will involve:

  Community engagement meetings in all health areas;

  Ensuring that political, traditional and religious leaders are informed in all communities;

 Administer at least 500,000 doses of vaccine (1.8% of the total population) to people aged 18 and above.

  Actively seek out and report any cases of IPM

  Ensuring effective vaccine management

  Ensure the reporting of all immunization data through the DH is 2.

 

• The strategies selected for Covid-19 vaccination include:

• Routine immunization with 840 immunization centres in 197 Health Districts;

  • Periodic intensification campaigns in all Health Areas.

For vaccination against Covid-19, given the specificity of the vaccine, its mode of administration, the great variability of the target and the sites where it is enrolled, the country has opted for a mixed strategy of service provision.  It includes the organization of fixed strategies in certain accredited health facilities and advanced strategies depending on the context.

Vaccination centres have been identified in each health district and will meet accreditation criteria for this purpose:

• Availability of qualified and trained personnel for vaccine management and delivery of immunization services: a doctor and/or pharmacist, at least 2 nurses.

   The availability of an approved cold chain for sufficient storage and preservation capacity for vaccines.

Border health posts, international immunization centres (IACs) will need to be upgraded to achieve this accreditation.

Accredited immunization centres can organize advanced strategies to reach the entire target population in their coverage area. These include special sites such as elderly facilities/associations, prisons, refugee/IDP settlements or camps, etc.

 

Epidemiology and status of Covid-19 vaccination


As of 6 March 2022, there are 440,807,756 confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide and 5,978,096 deaths.


In Cameroon as of 02 March 2022, a total of 119,276 confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been recorded, with 1923 deaths. It also appears that the number of confirmed cases is falling in the fourth wave. However, this decrease does not protect us from the emergence of new variants or the occurrence of a new wave of epidemic.

 Importance of vaccination.

 Vaccination is valuable in many ways.

◊ In addition to saving the lives of millions of children, immunization programmes offer also a high economic return on investment.

◊ New research shows incredible impact and value of vaccination for decision-makers.

◊ Investing in immunization programmes in the world’s poorest countries world brings a significant return on the initial investment.


 EXPECTATION


1- Towards Media owners:

-  Obtain their support for the dissemination of true, reliable information and precise on the rationale for the introduction of the Covid-19 vaccine;

Optimize communication with the aim of informing people about the availability and free of charge of the Covid 19 vaccine for target populations

-  Promote a culture of citizenship by supporting the MINSANTE in managing rumours and misinformation.

 

2- To opinion leaders, associations and other groups religious and traditional leaders:

Raise awareness and mobilize their communities to join the vaccination against Covid-19

-  To contribute to the promotion of health-promoting behaviours, namely -  To be vaccinated first in front of their communities;-  Encourage others to get vaccinated;-  Encourage targets to take the two required doses;-  Disseminate key messages for immunization in  their communities

Coordinate the search of lost persons in their communities;

- Supporting the MINSANTE in the management of rumours and disinformation

- Participate in the organization of vaccination sessions in the communities

 

3- To the Heads of Health Training Encourage their staff to:

-  Continuously build the capacity of their staff on immunization against Covid-19;

-  Be welcoming to other targets;

-  Use simple words to provide information about the Covid-19 and vaccination;

- Participate in the management of rumours and misinformation;

-  Get vaccinated first;

-  Take Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures at vaccination sites to avoid contamination with Covid-19.


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