The Cost of Routine Immunization Outreach in the Context of COVID-19: Estimates from Tanzania and Indonesia

LOOK AT THIS IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN:

Assessing the additional delivery costs of conducting immunization outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic due to measures needed to keep health workers and communities safe. 

HOW YOU CAN USE THIS MATERIAL:

To estimate the additional costs of minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission when conducting immunization outreach. 

OVERVIEW:

To prevent disruptions in essential health services such as immunization during the COVID-19 pandemic, facilities must be equipped to provide services safely for health workers and communities. This analysis assesses the additional cost of delivering immunization through outreach in Tanzania and Indonesia. 

Key Points:

  • Adding handwashing stations and hand sanitizer to outreach sessions can increase the delivery cost per dose by 11-14%, PPE can add 45-61%, crowd control staff can add 9%, adding staff to take temperatures can add 42%. Altogether, the cost of delivery could increase by 20-129%. 
  • The cost-savings effect of reducing the frequency of outreach is limited (-2 to –16%), while the cost of doubling the frequency to reduce the size of each session is 18-40%. 
  • Changes in the outreach delivery costs are highly dependent on the initial strategy: the volume delivered through outreach, session size and session frequency, and remuneration for health workers. 
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and infection prevention and control (IPC) interventions are the biggest driver of delivery cost increases in outreach. The increase in delivery cost per dose is highest in rural areas. 

You May Also Like

Resource Compilation: Increasing Access to Critical Missing Vaccines through New Vaccine Introduction

As countries prepare for national introduction of three critical vaccines, immunisation practitioners and other stakeholders can use the experiences and lessons outlined in these resources to design and implement strategies to mitigate and overcome barriers to achieving high vaccine coverage. Linked Resources Learning Engagement: National Decision-making in the Introduction of New Vaccines Brief: Decision-making for … Read More

Resource Compilation: Designing and Implementing Electronic Immunisation Registries (EIRs)

Countries looking to improve the effectiveness and accuracy of their immunisation reporting systems can take some of the lessons, implementation considerations, and country experiences from these resources to facilitate a smooth transition from paper-based to electronic systems. Linked Resources Learning Engagement: Benefits and Implementation Considerations for Electronic Immunisation Registries (EIRs) Blog: Linked Countries Learn from … Read More

Linked Practitioner Perspective: HPV vaccine demand generation and acceptance strategies: Experiences from Philippines

During our workshop focused on HPV demand generation and vaccine acceptance strategies, we sat down with Hugo Catan, Health Program Officer, Department of Health, Health Promotion Bureau, Philippines to discuss the country’s experience introducing the HPV vaccine using a school-based immunisation strategy. Discover the Philippine’s experiences and insights in our practitioner perspective video, available in … Read More