Increasing vaccine access and uptake in Lahore

Lahore has been the main urban centre driving the COVID-19 case count in Punjab, Pakistan. Less than 40% of its population has received the first dose and it is in this context that Lahore District Administration has requested assistance in planning and delivering an efficient data-driven vaccination drive. This project has two aims:

1. To develop a community and/or household-level social mobilisation campaign to promote first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
2. To assess the impact of the social mobilisation campaign on vaccine uptake.

We believe that a successful study has the potential to influence decision makers to implement similar social mobilisation campaigns to increase first and second dose vaccine uptake.

We will conduct a randomised controlled trial in Lahore, Punjab. To improve vaccine access, 206 temporary vaccination centres will be set up in Lahore’s 166 Union Councils. The roll-out will be staggered and accompanied by a door-to-door social mobilisation campaign that addresses resident’s concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine, alerts them of a vaccine centre in the neighbourhood, and urges them to get vaccinated immediately. This door-to-door social mobilisation campaign is accompanied by community promotion that will involve announcements from centres as well as from community and religious leaders enlisted to encourage people to get vaccinated.