Global goods and vaccinations

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Global Good Adaptations for COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction

The following table summarizes the adaptions made by global goods to support COVID-19 vaccine introduction, including COVAX.

Last update: February 5, 2021

Global Good Adaptation Resources
CommCare
Dimagi has developed a template solution for Equitable and Effective COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery. The solution tracks and supports every client before, during, and after the vaccination process while providing analytics and visualizations to monitor the progression of vaccine delivery. It provides direct digital support to health providers administering vaccines (via apps), people getting vaccinated (via messaging), vaccine managers and supervisors (via analytics and dashboards), and community advocates (via apps or messaging).
DHIS2
DHIS2 has several ready-to-install digital data packages to support COVID-19 vaccine delivery (including for COVAX) based on WHO guidelines. All packages are optimized for Android or web-based data collection, including in offline mode. The DHIS2 toolkit for COVID-19 vaccine delivery expands field-tested designs and tools from the WHO DHIS2 immunization data toolkit to enable countries to rapidly update existing systems to support the equitable delivery of COVID-19 vaccines at scale, while strengthening existing national DHIS2-based immunization systems for sustainable impact across all aspects of vaccine preventable disease interventions. The toolkit supports:
  • Measure uptake, coverage & equitable distribution over time, by geography and across risk groups: The DHIS2 WHO EPI module has been expanded for COVID-19 vaccine data for routine facility data on vaccination utilization, wastage, cold chain & outreach data
  • Supply chain readiness & traceability of vaccines down to points of service delivery: Facility & last-mile logistics data module: WHO approved health logistics metadata with barcode/QR scanning capabilities
  • Ensure that individuals can be monitored for the full course of multi-dose regimen: Immunization eRegistry (EIR) package for longitudinal tracking & follow up of individuals
  • Provide a personal vaccination record/certificate: Electronic Health Certificates linked with Immunization eRegistry and integration with digital vaccination cards
  • Multiple distribution strategies; novel & innovative distribution approaches: Mass campaigns & supplemental immunization activities monitoring adapted for COVID-19 distribution strategies
  • Vaccine safety monitoring: Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) Tracker: WHO approved module for strengthening vaccine safety surveillance
The DHIS2 team has created training materials for the EIR and AEFI packages. Packages translations are available in French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Additional languages can be added on demand.
iHRIS
iHRIS, used to track and manage health workforce data to improve access to services, is being adapted to track health worker vaccination data. Data can be used to help determine vaccination needs of health workers across justifications and align vaccination efforts.
Instant OpenHIE
Instant OpenHIE has been adapted to include a COVID-19 immunization tracking package that extends off the core Instant OpenHIE solution, with scripts to set up a containerised set of components and configuration scripts enabling demonstration of patient and COVID-19 immunization tracking within a health information exchange.
mHero
mHero has been launched in Kenya and Uganda (and soon DRC) for COVID-19 communication between health workers and ministries of health (or other institution that oversees cadres of health workers, such as UNICEF). The mHero team has also collaborated with the OpenHIE COVID-19 Task Force to build a library of FHIR-compliant workflows that align with global reporting standards, and is also working with FLOIP to ensure that FLOIP results from FHIR-compliant workflows can be accessed in mHero.
OpenHIM
The OpenHIM has been adapted to support with COVID-19 vaccination tracking within a health information exchange, through a set of custom mediators supporting ingestion of patient and immunization data, persistence to a FHIR data repository and interfacing with a Client Registry.
Logistimo
  • Logistimo SCM has been adapted to include data capture for the COVID-19 supply chain (about 70 products and equipment), which has been deployed across a few states in India.
  • Additional data capture available for supplies to laboratories for tests.
  • Logistimo has created specific COVID-19 dashboards (that we call bulletin boards) which help in easy surveillance for control towers.
  • Several partners have been assessing how effectively COVID-19 bio-medical waste is being handled and disposed using Logistimo Snapshot.
GOFR
  • Overview of GOFR tool for facility reconciliation
mHero
  • Deployed in Liberia in support of the COVID-19 response.
  • New mHero architecture has been developed.
  • Adding additional features including:
    • COVID-19 disease surveillance workflows
    • Ability to send messages from any FHIR compliant database such as OpenMRS
    • Ability to update any FHIR compliant database with new respondent information
    • Ability to respond to messages via WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger
Mobile WACh
  • Provide up-to-date guidance by SMS (push messaging) on symptoms, social distancing, and care-seeking to the general population, as well as HCWs in need of guidance.
  • Provide interactive triage of patient symptoms by 2-way SMS with a HCW, based on international guidance to determine whether and how patients should seek care, and avoid unnecessary risk and strain on the medical system.
  • Continue supporting pregnant and postpartum women, neonates and people living with HIV or other chronic conditions with SMS curricula we have already developed at a time when they will experience even more pronounced shortages of in-person medical care.
ODK
  • ODK's lead developer, Nafundi, is offering pro-bono help to anyone working on the COVID-19 response.
  • Rapidly digitizing forms from the WHO and CDC protocols and making them available for others to use and build on.
  • Offering support for ODK for contact tracing, decision support, community education, strategic mapping, and case management.
  • Demo available on how the WHO minimum reporting form running in ODK Collect (Android) and Enketo (Web) send data to an ODK Central server, which then flows data to a live updating dashboard in PowerBI and a spreadsheet in Excel.
OpenConcept Lab
  • Published a value set, "COVID-19 Starter Set," based on the Columbia International eHealth Laboratory (CIEL) interface terminology
  • Rushed multiple large terminology curation and import processes to support publication of this value set.
OpenELIS
  • OpenELIS Global has added COVID-19 metadata for laboratory testing and resulting, including LOINC codes for interoperability via HL7 2.5. Metadata will be included in the default test catalog with the next release of OpenELIS.
  • Users can immediately use the Administration Menu: Test Management function in the software to add tests for the corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) to their laboratory test catalog to facilitate tracking of laboratory tests and results.
OpenHIM
  • Coming soon - generic support for COVID-19 data exchange with the OpenHIM by extending the OpenHIM Mapping Mediator offerings, supporting a range of use cases around case reporting, surveillance and contact tracing that require an exchange of data between information systems.
  • OpenHIM will support standardized data schema that supports the WHO standards, and in turn FHIR.
openIMIS
  • openIMIS was customized to act as a management information system to manage a government to people cash transfer scheme as a part of the COVID-19 response of the Government of The Gambia. openIMIS has been used to enrol beneficiary households into the system and keep track of the payments being made to these households. The scheme currently covers 80,000 households in The Gambia, but is slated for a nationwide scaleup soon, and it is anticipated that the openIMIS based tool will be continued to be used for the management.
OpenLMIS
  • OpenLMIS is responding by supporting OpenLMIS countries to optimize their use of the software to encourage good supply chain management of COVID supplies. A separate, simplified OpenLMIS instance has been launched called OpenLMIS COVID-19 Edition, which is a lighter weight and quicker start up tool to help countries get started right away to manage COVID-related commodities (based on the WHO product list). In addition, the OpenLMIS team continues to conduct outreach to existing users to ensure they know how to quickly:
    • Add new Products
    • Initiate emergency requisitions
    • Configure and manage inventory of Kits (anticipating the need for COVID kits)
  • The OpenLMIS core team will prioritize any configuration or work related to these functions. Future product committee meetings could be used to share lessons across countries to see how they are preparing their supply chains for COVID.
OpenMRS
  • The OpenMRS community's goal is to support extension of current functionality that will make it easier for 5,500 existing implementations to a) screen, test, and manage patients and b) report data out efficiently to DHIS2 for public health surveillance.
  • Active COVID-19 Response Squad is working to identify existing work within the OpenMRS community that can be rapidly adapted by implementers and packaged as a suite of COVID-19 Public Health Response Tools. Informatics experts, business analysts, UI/UX designers, developers, and implementers are encouraged to join the conversation, weekly meetings, design forums, and work with the COVID-19 Response Squad.
  • The following OpenMRS COVID-19 Public Health Response Tools under development and discussion include:
    • CIEL concept dictionary with COVID-19 concepts
    • COVID-19 Public Health Response Module
    • COVID-19 Public Health Reporting System Interfaces
  • Standard content related to COVID-19 included in the recent release of Reference Application 2.10.0.
OpenSRP/Akuko/Canopy
  • Develop use of Ona Data/RapidPro + Canopy for secondary response.
  • Create OpenSRP/Reveal and an RDT reader for contact tracing and Akuko data storytelling platform for data viz platform for information sharing.
  • Working with clients in Malawi government to adapt the ODP module for COVID-19 in the future
Reveal
  • Modified forms to incorporate COVID-related data
  • Modifications completed for the planning module to support Reveal's ability to get resources to vulnerable populations (food aid, economic aid, sanitation resources as well as routine health resources), which is crucial given the quarantine and lock-down restrictions many countries are facing.
  • Support to attain high vaccination coverage achieving last mile delivery
SORMAS
  • Ensuring availability of validated real time surveillance data which would in turn lower the disease burden through enabled contact tracing while monitoring the potential for future cases.
  • Offering easy-to-use, multifunctional mobile health (mHealth) and electronic health (eHealth) applications, which provide real-time data availability and compatibility with standard surveillance systems.

COVID-19 Community Coordination

Digital Square is pleased to share resources sourced from the Digital Health Community to facilitate alignment and coordination in the COVID-19 response, and to support countries choosing digital tools to aid in their own response efforts. If you have a resource you would like us to host on the wiki, please contact Amanda BenDor.

UNICEF Country Mapping for COVID-19 Response

UNICEF has initiated a country mapping of relevant Digital Health solutions that can be leveraged to support frontline health workers in their response to COVID-19 and that can be used by countries to support Risk Communication and Community Engagement on COVID-19. The mapping can be accessed here. If you want to update the country mapping, please use the comment function and the UNICEF team will update the information accordingly.

Likewise, a partnership landscaping has also been done to map where implementing partners are working to support digital tools for frontline health workers and which digital solutions they are supporting. This mapping can be accessed here. If your organization is missing from the partnership landscaping, you can add the information directly in the spread sheet.

Both these mapping tools are free to use by anyone who wish to know which solutions already exist at country level and that can be deployed for frontline health workers for COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.

Comparison of Digital Tools used in the COVID-19 Response

Countries have access to a large, complex ecosystem of digital platforms that can support COVID-19 response. The process of selecting the most appropriate platform for a country's specific needs or context can be overwhelming without clear information about the benefits and limitations of the options. Several new resources have been developed to support in-country assessment and decisions about digital technologies for COVID response.

Johns Hopkins assessment

In July 2020, Johns Hopkins published an assessment of digital platforms that have an established presence in several low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), and either have been or could be rapidly reconfigured to address COVID-19 related case management and contact tracing needs. The assessment includes a review of the following tools: CommCare, Community Health Toolkit (CHT), DHIS2 Tracker, Go.Data, ODK, OpenSRP, RapidPro, SORMAS, and WelTel. The platforms were selected based on their existing deployment, flexibility, and adaptability for COVID-19 use cases, their ability to support multiple languages, and stakeholder interest in how these applications can be leveraged in response to COVID-19. The full report can be accessed here.

Digital Square efforts

In recognition that this is a rapidly evolving landscape, Digital Square has been working across donors to collate a comparison of digital tools that are currently used in the COVID-19 response. Included in the comparison is an analysis of a number of functional and non-functional requirements. Including in this document are the following digital health tools: DHIS2, SORMAS, Go.Data, EpiInfo, CommCare, ODK, Kobo Toolbox, Excel and non-digital paper tools. This comparison is a dynamic document meant for community updates that can be accessed here. If you would like to make updates including adding additional tools or information to tools included, please contact Carl Fourie.

Map & Match

The USAID-funded Map & Match project helps countries, donors, implementing partners, and the global digital health community at large to leverage and adapt existing digital tools in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world learned during the West Africa Ebola outbreak response, prioritizing the reuse and adaptation of existing digital tools is vital to quickly scale access to time-sensitive disease information and data. Find Map & Match resources on the Digital Square website here.

  • In March 2021, Digital Square published the Digital Applications and Tools Across an Epidemiological Curve. This resource provides a strategic framework for governments, investors, implementing organizations, and the digital health community to better understand how existing digital tools can be adapted and used during different phases of an outbreak.

Country Support

Mali

With funding from USAID Mali, Digital Square is working closely with the Mali Ministry of Health and partners such as CDC, Gavi, UNICEF and Global Fund to support adaptation and scale of digital health tools to support the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. Through the end of 2021, Digital Square is specifically supporting the following activities:

  1. Adapt and scale existing health information systems for COVID-19 vaccine rollout to enable real-time monitoring of vaccine availability and vaccine coverage.
  2. Support MOH to transition existing paper-based systems to digital platforms (focus on digital tools for monitoring adverse side effects).
  3. Harness digital tools to identify and locate persons eligible for vaccination.
  4. Identify tools and applications to be made interoperable.
  5. Contribute to an evaluation of a vaccination campaign in Bamako.

For more information on these activities or to coordinate with the Digital Square team, please contact Caitlin Bowman.


Additional COVID Resources

COVID-19 Webinars

October 28, 2020 | Global Good COVID-19 Adaptations Part III (OpenLMIS and OpenELIS)

This webinar focuses on how both OpenLMIS and OpenELIS have adapted their technologies to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

October 7, 2020 | Global Good COVID-19 Adaptations Part II (DHIS2 and mHero)

This webinar focuses on how both DHIS2 and mHero have adapted their technologies to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

June 16, 2020 | Can Image-based AI Meaningfully Impact COVID-19 Response in Low Resource Settings

This webinar explores the opportunities and challenges for the use of imaged-based AI tools in the COVID-19 response. Panelists discuss the broader context for the application of these tools; explore how they are being developed and evaluated; and identify what steps need to be taken to maximize the potential of image-based AI while mitigating the risks.

June 15, 2020 | Understanding the Unique Challenges & Opportunities of Combating COVID-19 in LMICs

April 30, 2020 | Private Sector Digital Adaptations for COVID-19 Response

In this webinar, leaders from the Digital Impact Alliance, Facebook, mClinica, Microsoft, and Tableau shared how to leverage private sector tools and technologies to strengthen health systems in COVID-19 response efforts.

April 7, 2020 | Managing the Global COVID-19 Pandemic with Health Informatics

In partnership with AMIA, this webinar shares informatics responses and challenges within the COVID-19 pandeimc.

March 30, 2020 | Global Goods Adaptation for COVID-19 Response Part I

This webinar features a set of Digital Square-approved digital health global goods that have adapted their technologies to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 26, 2020 | Re-utilizing PEPFAR Investments during the COVID-19 Response This webinar showcases how PEPFAR investments can be re-utilized in the COVID-19 response. During this session, we will feature a mix of digital tools including DATIM, Patient Level Monitoring, and the Global Open Facility Registry, and how they can be harnessed in the COVID-19 global response.

Digital Square Web Articles