AF Ecuador COVID-19 Emergency Response and Vaccination Project

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The original project and the Additional Financing (AF) will be comprised of two components to support the Government of Ecuador's strategic plan to prevent and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19, and strengthen national systems for public health preparedness. The first component "Support the National Program to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic" will continue to support the GoE's effort to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the AF expands its scope to include support to Ecuador’s National COVID-19 Immunization Plan (ENCIP). A comprehensive and effective vaccination program requires a robust infrastructure at different levels of the health system that strengthens vaccination practices in both the public and private sectors, assesses the impact of vaccination programs through disease surveillance, provides credible evidence-based information to healthcare consumers, supports outbreak investigation and control, and monitors vaccine coverage, effectiveness, and safety. To this end, the AF will support interventions required in each of the core areas that comprise the country’s COVID-19 vaccine readiness, procurement, and delivery programs. The component is divided into two sub-components, described below:Sub-component 1.1 supports the national communication strategy to control the spread of COVID-19 by financing: (i) developing materials and messages for the general public to increase understanding about the risks and impacts of the pandemic including those aimed at increasing awareness to climate-sensitive diseases and the ways of preventing them; (ii) preparing and delivering guidelines for health care workers for self-care and mental health practices; (iii) producing and disseminating material to support households in mandatory isolation; and (iv) a whole new chapter of communication strategy on implementing the Ecuador’s National COVID-19 Immunization Plan. The target population includes the entire population but will focus on the poor and the elderly population, both of which are also more vulnerable to climate shocks such as extreme weather events. Sub-component 1.2 aims to strengthen critical aspects of health delivery to cope with increased demand of services posed by COVID-19 pandemic. To do this, it will finance: (i) procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, including increased/equitable access to vaccines procured via mechanisms selected by the country, and in accordance with criteria adopted under the AF; (ii) ancillary supply kits that may include needles, syringes, preparation pads, supplies for safe waste management, COVID-19 vaccination record cards for each vaccine recipient, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for vaccinators; (iii) training and contracting of non-consultant services that may be required to administer the vaccines; (iv) the adoption of global tools and adaptation of supply chain systems with best practices, including transportation; (v) activities to strengthen remote temperature monitoring systems; (vi) necessary equipment to store and distribute vaccines (including cold chain resources); (vii) activities to strengthen the logistics information systems to accommodate COVID-19 vaccines; and (viii) physical adaptation of facilities to facilitate the vaccination process and receive the public.The second component is reserved for project management and monitoring. This component would finance: (i) staff and operational costs of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) at the Ministry of Public Health (MSP); (ii) monitoring or project implementation and reporting; and (iii) technical Assistance activities as needed.