Mass vaccination of COVID-19 is a significant challenge for the Sub-Saharan Africa countries where most of the population lives in rural areas. Research by Dr Toby Peters and Dr Bing Xu aims to support vaccine delivery mechanisms at an unprecedented scale, based on a pilot study in Rwanda.
The team developed an approach to evaluate the existing cold chain infrastructure, particularly to the point of use. It enabled the design of a system to respond to the current crisis or future emergencies.
The research found that the cold chain equipment in Rwanda was technologically obsolete and out of date, highlighting the need for extra components of cold chain equipment necessary for large-scale immunization.
Another challenge identified was the lack of trained personnel in the maintenance of the vaccine cold chain, which could lead to an interruption of the immunization campaign.
Approximately 11% of health facilities did not have access to the electricity grid, which represents a substantial challenge for the mass vaccination program, as vaccines would likely be stored at temperatures higher than recommended. Other key research findings were related to transportation and road infrastructure conditions, vaccination planning, as well as funding to replace equipment and improve facilities.
The principal outcome of the study was the vaccine cold chain evaluation methodology which, consists of a robust proprietary data collection method, orientation materials, and questionnaire, which can be used by other countries, especially developing economies.
