The Global Mass Vaccination Collaborative was launched in April, 2021, as a way for stakeholders directing vaccination campaigns around the world to come together and learn from each other’s efforts. People involved in vaccination efforts, including individuals from hospitals, public health departments, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and more, meet weekly to exchange ideas and observations.
As vaccine rollouts began in early 2021, overwhelming demand outpaced limited supply. Mass vaccination sites emerged as a solution to efficiently triage and distribute vaccines to large quantities of people. However, there was no playbook for how best to open and operate such sites, and leaders of the sites had little opportunity to learn from each other’s successes and challenges. Ariadne Labs and partners recognized an opportunity to bring stakeholders together in an innovative learning collaborative to share their experiences and discuss challenges and solutions.
The Collaborative has evolved along with the pandemic. As the need for mass vaccination sites dwindled and vaccine roll-out became more focused on efforts in local communities, the collaborative adapted to tackle new challenges. Weekly meetings have covered topics ranging from the logistics of setting up vaccination sites at racetracks and football stadiums, to rollout efforts around the globe, pediatric vaccines, and booster shots.
A new phase of the collaborative will focus on efforts to establish mass vaccination sites in low- and middle-income countries, where rates of vaccination have lagged.
A weekly blog series has documented the challenges and solutions unearthed throughout each of the Collaborative’s weekly meetings. Read the full blog here, or see select posts below.