To support the rapid and efficient deployment of COVID-19 vaccines, Lao People’s Democratic Republic introduced a COVID-19 Vaccination Scheduling System available at https://vaccinatelaos.la.
This system, which was developed by World Health Organization (WHO) Lao PDR Country Office with the vision of eventually linking it to the District Health Information System (DHIS2) platform, supports the vaccinated population records, manages large crowds by staggering appointment time, and enables session planning so that capacity is sufficient to meet demand.
The system was initially launched to promote a mass vaccination event at Mittaphab Hospital, and other central hospitals and vaccination sites were later added to the system. It offers individuals the convenience of selecting the vaccination date and time, and their preferred sites. Only individuals who are in one of the five prioritized groups described in the National Deployment and Vaccination Plan (NDVP) for COVID-19 can schedule using the system.
This online platform was announced through the Center of Communication and Education for Health (CCEH) social media page at the end of March. Those who signed up can use a fast-track lane to reduce waiting time, while it enables the National Immunization Programme (NIP) to avoid unnecessary large gathering of people, improve crowd control and enable physical distancing.
More than 1,000 people used the system to schedule their COVID-19 vaccination within the first two days; these people were then able to receive their vaccines based on their appointment date and time. With the community outbreak and lockdown introduced, the benefit of the system became apparent as demand for vaccines increased.
As of April 2021, about 4,000 doses were delivered to people in Vientiane Capital through the COVID-19 Vaccination Scheduling System. This system can be scaled-up for use in the provinces and districts; in fact, Savannakhet has begun to use the website in May to manage their mass COVID-19 vaccination events.
WHO Representative to Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Dr. Mark Jacobs said “We are pleased to work with the Ministry of Health in developing the Vaccination Scheduling System with the longer-term aim of linking it to the District Health Information System (DHIS2). DHIS2 is also used for COVID-19 response to manage suspected COVID-19 cases, close contacts, and people arriving in the country.”
