"Omicron" new Covid variant of concern ��Demand and communication recommendations
- Accelerate COVID-19 vaccination coverage as rapidly as possible, especially among populations designated as high priority who remain unvaccinated or are not yet fully vaccinated.
- Keep advocating for equitable vaccine distribution and service delivery modalities that suit people’s needs, particularly those of women.
- Explain what people can to reduce transmission of SARS CoV-2 even with the emergence of the Omicron variant: get vaccinated, wear a mask, keep a physical distance, avoid poorly ventilated or crowded spaces, keep your hands clean and cough or sneeze into your elbow.
- The more COVID-19 circulates, the more opportunities the virus has to mutate. It is essential that we all continue to work to reduce the circulation of COVID-19.
- Leverage all relevant communication channels to build trust :
1) disseminate regular and accurate information on the new variant to showcase transparency and
2) to provide safe discussions spaces with health specialists (e.g.: scientists, doctors) so that people can ask questions and share they worries and concerns
- Sustain efforts to ensure the availability of updated social and behavioural data, social listening and community feedback mechanisms (both online and offline) to inform programming on a regular basis
- Strengthen existing community-based platforms to support most vulnerable population -particularly elderly- to access and uptake the covid-19 vaccines (e.g. faith-based group, youth and women networks)
- Focus on implementing tailored pro-equity strategies to reach all, particularly migrants/IDPs/undocumented