Using Trusted Community Networks to Vaccinate Older Persons Against COVID-19
September 29th, 2023 | story
Since the pandemic started in 2020, people over the age of 60 have borne the brunt of COVID-19. Older persons have a higher risk of serious illness and death due to COVID-19 than people in younger age groups, making them a high-priority group for COVID-19 vaccination. Despite their vulnerability, various barriers, such as concerns about side effects, rumors and misconceptions, and inconvenient locations of vaccination services, prevent older people from seeking vaccination services.
To overcome these obstacles, USAID MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity used community networks to promote and facilitate COVID-19 vaccination uptake among older persons. In Kenya and India, the project partnered with local organizations whose primary goal is to support older persons to identify barriers and solutions to increase vaccine acceptance and uptake. Local organizations are often better positioned to support their communities because people know them through their previous work and trust them.
