There is no one-size-fits-all approach to achieving a high uptake of COVID-19 vaccination. As immunization programmes roll out, alternative service-delivery approaches are needed to encourage some communities and social groups to get their jabs. Across Catalonia, Spain, public health professionals have excelled at tailoring vaccine programmes to ensure everyone has equitable access to COVID-19 vaccination.
A wide range of tailored interventions have been necessary to encompass all of Catalonia’s demographic diversity. Early on, public health officials noted that low vaccination coverage coincided with areas of greater social disadvantage. By mapping vaccine rates geographically, officials identified who needed the most targeted interventions, as well as the social determinants which affected access to or uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Drawing on relationships built on trust
Homeless people in Catalonia were supported to get the vaccine. To reach this target group, it was necessary to draw on existing relationships between nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the individuals themselves, a high proportion of whom live in Barcelona. Reaching these people through social-care workers and NGOs ensured conversations about the vaccine took place on grounds of trust.
Catalonian officials also drew on the trust between existing organizations and community leaders to give Roma communities easy access to COVID-19 information and vaccination. Through surveys and consultations, questions about vaccination were brought to the attention of officials. These questions were authoritatively answered, but before being passed back to the community, they were re-worded by Roma community leaders to ensure appropriate phrasing.
Outreach to religious communities has also been important in Catalonia. “If you’ve been working with a certain mosque in a certain neighbourhood already, it’s easier to identify the best day to go for vaccination,” explains Carmen Cabezas-Peña, Deputy Director for Health Promotion at Catalonia’s Ministry of Health. “You know how it all works, how the imam interacts with the community. Working with these communities was vital to organizing suitable and respectful days for vaccination.”
