Vaccinating humanitarian workers against COVID-19

To describe the United Nations' (UN's) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination programme and its efforts to vaccinate frontline humanitarian personnel stationed in locations where access to COVID-19 vaccine was limited or absent.

The vaccination programme was structured as a two-level operation: a global vaccine deployment support team and local vaccine deployment teams in each participating country, territory or administrative area. The central group, led by a global vaccine coordinator, oversaw medical, legal, financial, logistical, data, technological and communication aspects. Local vaccine deployment teams were led by coordinators who managed registration, logistics, communication and vaccine administration. The programme used World Health Organization-approved COVID-19 vaccines and developed prioritization criteria for distributing vaccine supplies. The programme ensured that vaccines for the UN personnel were not diverted from the populations they were intended to serve.

The programme successfully formed 120 deployment teams across 152 eligible countries, territories and administrative areas, targeting approximately 673 000 individuals. By April 2023, 72 countries, territories and administrative areas had received over 470 000 doses, of which 337 072 doses were administered. Almost half of the doses administered (167 616) were to individuals in five UN hardship countries. Ninety-five severe adverse events were reported, but none led to any reported medical evacuation, permanent disability or death.

The programme demonstrated effective global coordination and local implementation, adapting to diverse contexts and operational challenges. The model can serve as a guide for global actors for future health emergencies, or for deploying health aid at a regional or global scale.