SOMALIA’S COVID CHALLENGE A SHORTAGE OF COVID-19 VACCINES AND VACCINE RESISTANCE IS THREATENING TO COLLAPSE SOMALIA'S FRAGILE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM BY DR ABDI TARI ALI
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than 1 per cent of Somalians have been vaccinated, but lessons can and should be learned from the polio eradication campaign. The vaccination rollout in Somalia is nowhere near European success rates – we have a limited supply. There is also a growing vaccine resistance driven by misinformation and a lack of public awareness. Wealthy nations struck deals with vaccine manufacturers, securing a disproportionately large share of early supply, leaving vulnerable nations like Somalia in a more precarious situation. This has undermined the ability of COVAX (the system which aims to provide innovative and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines in the developing world) to distribute shots equitably and has widened the vaccination gap between Africa and other parts of the world. Despite the challenges, COVAX has delivered more than 31 million doses to 46 countries in Africa. It aims to supply 520 million doses to the continent by the end of 2021. According to the African Union (AU), Somalia received 716,000 doses, but this is against a population of almost 16 million. We need to borrow from lessons learned in mass vaccination campaigns such as the polio eradication campaign to make the rollout as effective as possible. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) estimates that vaccination efforts saved more than 1.5 million lives and prevented 16 million people from polio-induced paralysis. The success of
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the polio eradication campaign comes down to several key factors which can be adopted in Somalia's COVID-19 vaccination efforts for an effective outcome. The polio eradication campaign had a large team of trained community and health workers (vaccinators) available to reach as many children as possible. There was also strong commitment and goodwill from the government, partners and health care workers throughout. The campaign integrated robust data systems and analysis, which supported more accurate, data-driven decision-making in response efforts. The incorporation of a strong monitoring
network that reached urban and rural areas was geared towards first detecting acute flaccid paralysis in children, supported by testing to confirm diagnosis and identifying the target area for vaccination efforts. WHAT BARRIERS ARE THERE TO MASS VACCINATIONS IN SOMALIA? One of our biggest challenges in Somalia is a limited supply of vaccines. We need more vaccines. We need support to ensure we have enough healthcare workers to strengthen our vaccination efforts. We need support to promote uptake of the vaccines amongst hesitant communities. Only 35 per cent
