[NEW RESOURCE} Considerations for Integrating COVID-19 Vaccination into Immunization Programmes and Primary Health Care for 2022 and Beyond
Despite many unknowns about the future of the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccination, it is time to plan for sustainable COVID-19 vaccination as an integral part of national immunization programmes (NIPs), primary health care (PHC), and other relevant health services. Many countries are already integrating COVID-19 vaccination into their regular health services and exploring new entry points for vaccination of high-risk groups. This document, created by WHO and UNICEF lays out key programmatic considerations essential for moving from mass campaigns for COVID-19 vaccination to integrating COVID-19 vaccination into immunization programmes, PHC and other relevant health services for 2022 and beyond. The ultimate aim is to fully explore potential areas for integration of different components of immunization programmes, PHC, and the health system. Given the evolving epidemiological nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a living document and will be updated to reflect the changing context including as policies for COVID-19 vaccinations over the longer-term are formulated. Finally, the document is not intended to outline a prescriptive approach but rather to layout the considerations and options for countries to consider and apply based on their needs and country context.