The Peruvian COVID-19 Immunization Program: lessons learned from a policy evaluation

Abstract

Peru started its COVID-19 Immunization Program after recording the highest mortality worldwide during the first wave of the pandemic and halfway through its second wave. However, it became one of the fastest developing countries to cover 80% of its adult population with two COVID-19 vaccine doses. Overall, from the beginning of the Program in February 2021 up to March 2022, Peru delivered 66.2 million vaccine doses in a country with 32.8 million inhabitants. To do so, Peru successfully implemented a COVID-19 Immunization Program using an intersectoral and multidisciplinary approach. In addition, and more importantly, the Program included the participation of traditional and nontraditional health leaders. Peru's experience from previous immunization campaigns played a crucial role in its success. This experience allowed Peru to tackle challenges such as having over 80 original languages, a segmented and fragmented health system, and a vast territory with remote communities across coastal, highland, and jungle regions. This manuscript reports the findings of the policy evaluation of the Peru COVID-19 Immunization Program and collects the critical lessons learned during the Program’s first year of implementation.

Asociación entre el miedo al COVID-19 y la adherencia al tratamiento antirretroviral en personas con VIH-SIDA

“…Los pacientes atendidos en esta ONG son en su gran mayoría hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH), con una mediana de edad de 36 años y nivel socioeconómico medio. El estudio fue realizado entre febrero y julio del 2022, entre la tercera y cuarta ola epidémica de COVID-19 en el Perú (15,16) .…”