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Expanding COVID-19 vaccination to reach at-risk populations in Guinea

Guinea
Expanding COVID-19 vaccination to reach at-risk populations in Guinea
Expanding COVID-19 vaccination to reach at-risk populations in Guinea

Conakry – Since March 2022, Guinea has been gradually integrating COVID-19 vaccination into its expanded routine immunization programme to both protect populations at risk and strengthen the local health systems.  

With the changing COVID-19 epidemiology over the past three years, World Health Organization has encouraged countries to make vaccination against the virus part of essential health services and primary health care. Guinea is among 16 countries in the African region to have integrated COVID-19 vaccination into routine immunizations.

In Guinea, the integration has been led by the National Coordination of the Expanded Programme on Immunization, with support from the National Agency for Health Security and funding from the European Union. 

On the ground, the commitment of countless health workers, social mobilizers and community leaders has been key to expanding the vaccine’s coverage and ensuring that older adults and those with comorbidities are prioritized. 

As of 20 April 2023, COVID-19 vaccination coverage in Guinea was around 36% for the population aged 12 years and above, and nearly 47% among people over 60 years of age.
 

At the Boulbinet Health Centre in Conakry, Guinea’s capital, Makalé Camara has come for a routine check-up with her doctor. The 70-year-old was diagnosed with hypertension in 2021. "My whole body hurt. I had cramps and persistent headaches,” she recalls. Dr Mamadou Bhoye Bah, a general practitioner at the health centre, regularly attends to older adult patients with high blood pressure like Camara. "Hypertension is a real public health problem, especially considering the complications it causes,” he says. “In the majority of cases, people do not know their status when they come for consultation, so we receive these patients when the complications have already started to manifest.”

As soon as COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Boulbinet Health Centre, Dr Bah recommended that Camara get vaccinated without delay. Initially, she had reservations, largely due to misinformation about the vaccine. "There was a lot of anxiety around,” she says. “We were told that this vaccine could be lethal to old people or make their health worse.” The medical staff at the health centre helped to allay Camara’s fears, highlighting the benefits of the vaccine. "The doctor talked to me about it every time I came for my check-up. I ended up agreeing to be vaccinated to protect myself,” she says. “The fact that I could do so right here in my local health centre was also a big factor in my decision, as it made it convenient and accessible.”

“Making the COVID-19 vaccination part of routine health programmes is at the heart of our broader strategy to boost general immunization,” says Dr Gassim Cissé, National Coordinator for Guinea’s Expanded Immunization Programme. "With the COVID-19 vaccine being part of routine services, eleven vaccines are now available in the expanded immunization programme. This is particularly beneficial to protecting vulnerable people.” Across the country, 430 health centres are currently vaccinating against COVID-19. WHO has supported the supply of vaccines by air freight from Conakry to regional capitals, as well as providing technical support to help identify gaps on the ground across all 38 of the country’s health districts.

Routine vaccination against COVID-19 has also improved coverage in four low-coverage regions, namely Kankan, Faranah, Mamou and Labé, where coverage rose from 11.5% in March 2022 to 26.5 % in September 2022 in these areas. “Integrating COVID-19 vaccination into routine health service, implemented with support from the European Union, has been a real game changer,” says Dr Jean-Marie Kipela, WHO Representative in Guinea. “It has revived immunization programmes, which remain an essential component of robust health systems. We as WHO welcome this progress.”

Community engagement has been integral to increasing demand for the vaccine among priority groups. "Since 2022, we have organized 168 community dialogues in all regions, with the participation of about 87 000 people,” says Mohamed Sankhon, Risk Communication and Community Engagement Officer at WHO Guinea. “We particularly target older people and those with comorbidities as they are more vulnerable. Older people can also have a lot of influence on their families.”

As a respected community leader, since Camara was vaccinated against COVID-19 at her local health centre, she has made it her personal mission to encourage others to follow suit. "Having seen the determination of the health workers to protect people, I put myself at their disposal. I started going into the community with them. While they vaccinated, I would help to spread awareness. I have sensitized several hundred people over the past two years," she says proudly. “As long as I am able to help, I believe it is my duty to keep doing so.”

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