COVID-19 Vaccine safety Vaccine development

South Sudan expands access to COVID-19 testing and vaccinations

A COVID-19 vaccination and health centre in Northern Bahr el Ghazal is reaching the most marginalised and vulnerable.

7 June 2022
3 min read
by Deng Daniel Ngor
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<article> <h1> <span>South Sudan expands access to COVID-19 testing and vaccinations</span> </h1> <div><p>A COVID-19 vaccination and health centre in Northern Bahr el Ghazal is reaching the most marginalised and vulnerable.</p> </div> <ul> <li> <b>7 June 2022</b> </li> <li> <b class="me-2">by</b> <span> <a href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/authors/deng-daniel-ngor" hreflang="en">Deng Daniel Ngor</a> </span> </li> </ul> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <p> </p> <p>A COVID-19 vaccination centre established in March this year in South Sudan’s Tonj North in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State has made it possible for everyone in the state to access vaccines.</p> <p>Samuel Tong Deng, the State Minister of Health, says that, over the last few months, the communities in Tonj North villages, together with health workers, have stepped up and shown their value and resilience in the face of unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 virus.</p> <blockquote> <h2>“We need the community to understand the COVID-19 measures and we need community leaders and health workers to work together to build trust, address misinformation, and tailor messages and materials so that the community gets the right information about COVID-19.”</h2> </blockquote> <p>The Minister says that community staff have delivered essential services during the most demanding and difficult times.</p> <p>“It’s very easy for our community, especially the elderly, to get vaccinated now that they have access to COVID-19 testing and vaccines,” he says.</p> <p>The vaccination health centre is part of a national network under the auspices of a high-level taskforce mandated to coordinate the country’s national, state, and local response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes providing tests, triaging patients, and reducing the burden on hospitals, while also addressing the demand for behavioural health services and continuing primary care for patients with chronic conditions.</p> <div> <h4>Have you read?</h4> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/reaching-communities-immunisation-south-sudan" title="Reaching communities with immunisation in South Sudan">Reaching communities with immunisation in South Sudan</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/south-sudans-polio-vaccination-campaigns-are-bearing-fruit" title="South Sudan’s polio vaccination campaigns are bearing fruit">South Sudan’s polio vaccination campaigns are bearing fruit</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/south-sudan-government-launches-mandatory-testing-and-vaccination" title="South Sudan launches mandatory testing and vaccination">South Sudan launches mandatory testing and vaccination</a></li> </ul> </div> <p>Minister Tong Deng adds that, of the estimated 28,000 (as of May 2022) people served by the health centre, 91% are from low-income families, who have been disproportionately hit by the pandemic.</p> <p>Makur Madut, manager of the high-level taskforce says, “There’s been a reduction in the cases of COVID-19 since this centre opened and the community are happy because they can now access health services close to their villages.”</p> <p>Madut adds that, despite the challenges, the centre has effectively prepared health staff and services to best meet people’s needs during the pandemic. Medical staff have discharged thousands of COVID-19 patients since the centre was set up, and provided rehabilitation support closer to home.</p> <p>He continues to appeal to the communities around the centre to come through when experiencing any symptoms to avoid spreading the virus.</p> <p>“We need the community to understand the COVID-19 measures and we need community leaders and health workers to work together to build trust, address misinformation, and tailor messages and materials so that the community gets the right information about COVID-19.”</p> <p>Adut Chol, a representative for women in the area, agrees, and encourages the health department and community leaders to work in hand-in-hand in planning and implementing activities to open up more COVID-19 vaccination centres to increase coverage and make it easier for people to access vaccines.</p> <p>The work of local community groups who know and serve residents, particularly those who are homebound, with community outreach services like “meals on wheels”, is also important. They help people to make vaccination appointments or request at-home vaccinations on their behalf.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/south-sudan-expands-access-covid-19-testing-and-vaccinations">Original article</a> </p><p>This article was originally published on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork">VaccinesWork</a> </p><script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-M7H54VD');</script><noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-M7H54VD" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript></article>

New COVID-19 centre

A COVID-19 vaccination centre established in March this year in South Sudan’s Tonj North in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State has made it possible for everyone in the state to access vaccines.

Samuel Tong Deng, the State Minister of Health, says that, over the last few months, the communities in Tonj North villages, together with health workers, have stepped up and shown their value and resilience in the face of unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 virus.

“We need the community to understand the COVID-19 measures and we need community leaders and health workers to work together to build trust, address misinformation, and tailor messages and materials so that the community gets the right information about COVID-19.”

The Minister says that community staff have delivered essential services during the most demanding and difficult times.

“It’s very easy for our community, especially the elderly, to get vaccinated now that they have access to COVID-19 testing and vaccines,” he says.

The vaccination health centre is part of a national network under the auspices of a high-level taskforce mandated to coordinate the country’s national, state, and local response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes providing tests, triaging patients, and reducing the burden on hospitals, while also addressing the demand for behavioural health services and continuing primary care for patients with chronic conditions.

Have you read?

Minister Tong Deng adds that, of the estimated 28,000 (as of May 2022) people served by the health centre, 91% are from low-income families, who have been disproportionately hit by the pandemic.

Makur Madut, manager of the high-level taskforce says, “There’s been a reduction in the cases of COVID-19 since this centre opened and the community are happy because they can now access health services close to their villages.”

Madut adds that, despite the challenges, the centre has effectively prepared health staff and services to best meet people’s needs during the pandemic. Medical staff have discharged thousands of COVID-19 patients since the centre was set up, and provided rehabilitation support closer to home.

He continues to appeal to the communities around the centre to come through when experiencing any symptoms to avoid spreading the virus.

“We need the community to understand the COVID-19 measures and we need community leaders and health workers to work together to build trust, address misinformation, and tailor messages and materials so that the community gets the right information about COVID-19.”

Adut Chol, a representative for women in the area, agrees, and encourages the health department and community leaders to work in hand-in-hand in planning and implementing activities to open up more COVID-19 vaccination centres to increase coverage and make it easier for people to access vaccines.

The work of local community groups who know and serve residents, particularly those who are homebound, with community outreach services like “meals on wheels”, is also important. They help people to make vaccination appointments or request at-home vaccinations on their behalf.