The First 30 Days of COVID 19 Vaccination in Cameroon: Achievements, Challenges and Lessons Learned

Abstract

Cameroon's national vaccination campaign was launched on April 12, 2021, amid a nationwide outbreak of COVID-19 with two types of vaccines. This study provides preliminary evidence of the level of coverage of the population and gives an early overview of the challenges, the achievements and the lessons learned. COVID-19 vaccine administration data were obtained from data of the Cameroon Ministry of Public Health. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted. Thirty days after the introduction of COVID 19 vaccines, five percent of the target population was vaccinated. Women represented one third of the people vaccinated regardless of age and health conditions. Although AEFI reported were minor and scanty with both vaccines, the majority of the vaccinated did not come back for their second dose. There is a need to build confidence among eligible beneficiaries in order to expand the benefits of vaccination to control the current pandemic. The country is still far below the target which could be worrisome given that the uptake is slow and, the 391 200 doses of the AstraZeneca are going to expire in August 2021. This study offers insights into those early efforts as a contribution to significant discussions about upcoming approach to improve service delivery and uptake.

COVID-19 and Comorbidities in Douala, Cameroon

“…During intense COVID-19 transmission periods, these control measures, especially wearing masks and social distancing were highly used by Cameroonian populations [24]. Currently, such measures are no longer largely used in the country especially in armed conflict areas and less than 5% of the populations are vaccinated against the disease [25,26]. Thus, other factors such as self-medication with drugs and traditional medicines could explain the low rates of COVID-19 infection [27].…”

Impact of periodic intensification of routine immunization within an armed conflict setting and COVID-19 outbreak in Cameroon in 2020

“…Notwithstanding, the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Cameroon in March 2020, and this region investigated its first case about a month later [ 38 ]. Though fewer disease cases were reported in SW, the prevalence of the COVID-19 continued to increase every week [ 13 , 20 , 21 ].…”

“…This crisis was also associated with the deterioration of the surveillance indicators of the significant vaccine-preventable diseases (measles, yellow fever, polio, and neonatal tetanus) [ 19 ]. A surge in vaccine-preventable conditions and low vaccine uptakes are associated with armed violence and vaccine hesitance to life-saving vaccines in this setting [ 20 , 21 ].…”

“…The EPI carries out routine vaccination and surveillance of major childhood diseases. The series of vaccines administered by the program primarily covers the period from birth to 9 months [ 18 , 21 ]. The vaccines that were commonly administered to the population by the EPI in this country are reported in the study by Saidu 2021 [ 19 ].…”

Gender and COVID-19 Vaccine disparities in Cameroon

“…Cameroon’s national vaccination campaign was launched on April 12, 2021, with two types of vaccines: Sinopharm and AstraZeneca (1) with an aim to vaccinate at least 15 million people; a number required to achieve in-country herd immunity. Thirty days after the campaign was launched in Cameroon, it was unfortunate to notice women constituted only one third of the vaccinated population regardless of age and health conditions and type of vaccine.…”