Doha: Under its neutral vaccination monitoring program in Syria, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is monitoring Phase 2 of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVID-19 vaccination campaign in northern Syria, as part of the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX), a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Being executed by the WHO Syria Vaccination Team, the campaign is going on in Aleppo countryside, Idlib, and its countryside. Through 50 vaccination stations and over 100 mobile teams across all target regions, it involves giving Johnson & Johnson and Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines to health and humanitarian professionals, as well as the public who are 18+ years of age.
Since the beginning of vaccination in August 2022, the campaign has reached out to 22,393 beneficiaries, including 13,178 men and 9,215 women. It will last until February 2023, to ensure the attainment of the coverage rate recommended by WHO.
As a neutral organization, QRCS seeks to ensure compliance with international vaccination standards. In coordination with WHO, 29 well-trained field inspectors are deployed across the designated areas to enforce the campaign’s quality indicators, verify the readiness of vaccination centers, supervise the validity of injections and personnel performance, and make sure that no one is left behind.
Other tasks of the monitoring teams include correcting any procedures that go beyond the campaign’s plan, applying Coronavirus preventive measures, identifying coverage rates during and after the campaign, and providing recommendations for the vaccinators.
Generally, the monitoring process involves two phases. Prior to a campaign, the supervisors visit the main centers to make sure that all preparations and equipment are in place. Then, vaccine samples and storage conditions are checked for any inconveniences. The inspectors accompany the vaccinators to evaluate their performance at health centers and households. Finally, the results are reported to see what went right and what did not, as feedback to guide future operations.
QRCS has extensive experience in monitoring vaccination campaigns against infectious diseases. Its representation mission in Gaziantep held brief training courses for the inspectors both at the mission’s premises and inside Syria, to qualify them to perform inspections, develop action plans, follow up with the work done, and document all results properly. Then, they become ready to be deployed together with the vaccinators to the target districts. Over the past seven years, QRCS monitored numerous vaccination campaigns in Syria, in cooperation with many UN, local, and international humanitarian organizations. It is a leading organization in this field, with its remarkable field, administrative, and technical expertise.
Source: Qatar Red Crescent Society