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. 2023 Jul 17:11:1019536.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1019536. eCollection 2023.

A novel COVID-19 program, delivering vaccines throughout rural and remote Australia

Fergus W Gardiner  1   2 , Zoe Schofield  1   3 , Miranda Hendry  1 , Kate Jones  1 , Mandy Smallacombe  1 , Mardi Steere  1 , Jenny Beach  1 , MaryBeth MacIsaac  1 , Randall Greenberg  1 , Candice Crawford  1 , Melanie Trivett  1 , Judah Morris  1 , Breeanna Spring  1   4 , Frank Quinlan  1 , Leonid Churilov  5 , Kris Rallah-Baker  1 , Elli Gardiner  1 , John O'Donnell  1
Affiliations

A novel COVID-19 program, delivering vaccines throughout rural and remote Australia

Fergus W Gardiner et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) established a unique SARS-CoV-2 vaccination program for vaccinating Australians that live in rural and remote areas. This paper describes the preparation and response phases of the RFDS response.

Methods: This study includes vaccinations conducted by the RFDS from 01 January 2021 until 31 December 2021 when vaccines were mandatory for work and social activities. Prior to each clinic, we conducted community consultation to determine site requirements, patient characteristics, expected vaccination numbers, and community transmission rates.

Findings: Ninety-five organizations requested support. The majority (n = 60; 63.2%) came from Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organizations. Following consultation, 360 communities were approved for support. Actual vaccinations exceeded expectations (n = 70,827 vs. 49,407), with a concordance correlation coefficient of 0.88 (95% CI, 0.83, 0.93). Areas that reported healthcare workforce shortages during the preparation phase had the highest population proportion difference between expected and actual vaccinations. Areas that reported high vaccine hesitancy during the preparation phase had fewer than expected vaccines. There was a noticeable increase in vaccination rates in line with community outbreaks and positive polymerase chain reaction cases [r (41) = 0.35, p = 0.021]. Engagement with community leaders prior to clinic deployment was essential to provide a tailored response based on community expectations.

Keywords: COVID-19; community; engagement; pandemic; remote; vaccination; vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Workflow showing how vaccine assistance service (VAS) requests for RFDS was processed and approved or rejected through the Commonwealth.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Map of Australia showing population density per square kilometer (adapted from Australian Bureau of Statistics) (12) and The Royal Flying Doctor Service COVID-19 vaccination clinic locations and number of vaccines given between 20 January 2021 and 31 December 2021.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Proportion of the population (A) expected to be vaccinated, as per VAS request form compared to actual vaccinations and (B) correlation between vaccination rates and positive (PCR) COVID results.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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