Information system for Covid-19 immunisation management

Countries

Serbia

Policy areas

Organisation name Office for IT and eGovernment

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Contact person: Dragana Bećić

dragana.becic@ite.gov.rs

The Office for IT and e-Government in the Republic of Serbia was successful at ensuring an adequate availability of several different Covid vaccines in sufficient quantities, so it became crucial to ensure the delivery of safe and effective vaccine doses to the citizens willing to receive them as quickly, efficiently and reliably as possible and help bring this pandemic to its end.

The project ‘Information system for Covid-19 immunisation management’ harnessed the potential of information and communication technology to support nationwide mass vaccination. Seamless automation was ensured by leveraging the power of advanced technologies and artificial intelligence (AI). An AI-driven algorithm automatically scheduled the appointments a few days in advance for every citizen, checking the desired vaccine type against the age eligibility, profession (priority groups), health conditions and available time slots at the vaccination sites.

Vaccine allocation, supply, distribution and administration covering around 400 vaccination sites in the Republic of Serbia represented a massive logistical challenge, especially since in Serbia citizens were able to pick and choose between several different vaccines approved by national authorities.

To adequately support the vaccination as well as provide citizens with a high-quality service, it was necessary to establish a set of solutions, systems, services and integrations, to identify all the necessary features and information needed, define entirely new procedures and business processes, and ensure infrastructural requirements.

The ‘Information system for Covid-19 immunisation management’ integrated the entire vaccine delivery chain and supported every step of the process, from registration of interest in getting particular vaccine and (re)scheduling an appointment, to handling procurement procedures and tracking every vaccine bottle, to vaccination and record keeping on all immunised people and issuing certificates of vaccination.

The duration of acquired immunity is not known at the moment, but it is generally assumed that reinfections will occur, and that the immunity acquired by vaccination will last, depending on the vaccine, from a couple of months to a couple of years. Therefore, the Information System for the Covid-19 Immunisation Management will certainly remain relevant for some time.

Once the pandemic is over, we will continue to harness the strength of e-Health infrastructure established for the purpose of this mass vaccination against Covid-19.

The project is highly replicable since the spread of Covid-19 has affected the whole world and every country faces a massive logistical challenge with regard to allocation, distribution, management, administration and take-up of the vaccines.

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