When COVID-19 vaccines became available, the Kingdom of Bhutan was able to quickly vaccinate its population, thanks to its strong experience with seasonal influenza vaccination. Using the systems and processes already in place as part of the regular seasonal influenza vaccination programme, Bhutan was able to vaccinate over 90% of its eligible population with their first COVID-19 dose within two weeks of receiving doses, as well as to continue to vaccinate against influenza. To further improve the COVID-19 vaccination campaign for second doses, Bhutan, with support from WHO, conducted an intra-action review in May 2021 which focused on analysing and drawing lessons learned from the rapid first phase of the vaccination campaign. The review’s findings helped identify good practices and areas for improvement, in particular regarding how the adaptation of the electronic data management system during COVID-19 can support future influenza vaccination programmes. Overall, Bhutan’s experience demonstrates how investment in seasonal influenza vaccination programmes proved useful during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and how learnings from COVID-19, in turn, improved the influenza vaccination programme

Photo credit: WHO/Bhutan Country Office

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