A panel dataset of COVID-19 vaccination policies in 185 countries

Abstract

We present a panel dataset of COVID-19 vaccine policies, with data from 01 January 2020 for 185 countries and a number of subnational jurisdictions, reporting on vaccination prioritization plans, eligibility and availability, cost to the individual and mandatory vaccination policies. For each of these indicators, we recorded who is targeted by a policy using 52 standardized categories. These indicators document a detailed picture of the unprecedented scale of international COVID-19 vaccination rollout and strategy, indicating which countries prioritized and vaccinated which groups, when and in what order. We highlight key descriptive findings from these data to demonstrate uses for the data and to encourage researchers and policymakers in future research and vaccination planning. Numerous patterns and trends begin to emerge. For example: ‘eliminator’ countries (those that aimed to prevent virus entry into the country and community transmission) tended to prioritize border workers and economic sectors, while ‘mitigator’ countries (those that aimed to reduce the impact of community transmission) tended to prioritize the elderly and healthcare sectors for the first COVID-19 vaccinations; high-income countries published prioritization plans and began vaccinations earlier than low- and middle-income countries. Fifty-five countries were found to have implemented at least one policy of mandatory vaccination. We also demonstrate the value of combining this data with vaccination uptake rates, vaccine supply and demand data, and with further COVID-19 epidemiological data.

Estimating All-Cause Deaths Averted in the First Two Years of the COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign in Italy

“…This implies that, although our PF fraction of all-cause deaths was of the same magnitude as that reported in the literature, the impact of COVID-19 vaccination campaign in avoiding deaths is expected to be much higher than previously thought. It should be noticed, however, that Italy enforced the strongest COVID-19 vaccination policy as compared to other European countries, making vaccination mandatory for all working activities entailing social interactions [49]. In addition, our findings extend the estimate of the impact of COVID-19 vaccinations to a longer period than so far considered.…”

Management of vaccinations in patients with non‐Hodgkin lymphoma

“…For example, the United States and Canada recommend influenza vaccine to everyone over 6 months of age, while the UK vaccination programme targets children over the age of 2, adults over 65, pregnant women and special groups such as those with serious medical conditions. Differences in COVID‐19 vaccination policies worldwide and across European countries have been reported 114,115 . Possible reasons include epidemiological characteristics of a particular population, economic issues, health system organization, and policies.…”

Behavioural interventions to reduce vaccine hesitancy driven by misinformation on social media

“…Standard behavioural approaches to encourage vaccination include mandatory vaccination and regulation for healthcare professionals, incentives, public health communication campaigns, and engaging trusted leaders 31. Contemporary methods have started to be implemented on social media,10313233 including debunking (fact checking specific claims after they have reached social media users) and “pre-bunking,” a behavioural approach in which users are taught about how “fake news” works before exposure 34.…”

“…Standard behavioural approaches to encourage vaccination include mandatory vaccination and regulation for healthcare professionals, incentives, public health communication campaigns, and engaging trusted leaders 31. Contemporary methods have started to be implemented on social media,10313233 including debunking (fact checking specific claims after they have reached social media users) and “pre-bunking,” a behavioural approach in which users are taught about how “fake news” works before exposure 34. Other intervention types include warning (“inoculating”) people about manipulation tactics using non-harmful exposure as a tool to identify misinformation, and using accuracy prompts to trigger people to consider the truthfulness of material they are about to share on social media platforms, without stopping them from posting 35.…”