A health care worker briefs an elderly gentleman after he receives his COVID-19 vaccines, Banadir Hospital, March 2021. Photo: WHO

15 September 2021 – Since the day the news of availability of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines emerged, the Federal Government of Somalia has worked hand in hand with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other key partners to secure vaccines for Somalis.  

One year after the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Somalia on 15 March 2021, the first consignment of 300 000 AstraZeneca vaccines for COVID-19, received through the COVAX Facility, arrived in Mogadishu. In the following months, frontline workers, including health care workers; the elderly people; and people with chronic health conditions were targeted for vaccination as the first priority groups to receive COVID-19 vaccines. 

An insight from a nurse trained to offer vaccinations 

As a nurse and being a frontline health worker, 26-year-old Ikram Ahmed Mohamed was among the first to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 

“I work 6 days a week at the Banadir Hospital – and feel like this is the busiest COVID-19 vaccination site in the country,” says Ikram. “In the beginning, most of the people were elderly, but nowadays, more young people aged between 20 and 40 years are coming to get vaccinated. For some reason though, we have been seeing more men than women taking the vaccines.” 

Health care workers like Ikram are trying their very best to dispel rumours and fears. He explains, “Sometimes I do meet people who do not want to get vaccinated. But it is my job to convince them to trust the vaccine. I explain to them the benefits of vaccination and tell them I took it too.”

“Initially, I was a nurse, but before the first COVID-19 vaccines came to Somalia, the Government and WHO trained health professionals like me to administer COVID-19 vaccines safely,” adds Ikram. “Today, I am happy and proud to be a vaccinator, as I feel I am working to combat deadly diseases like COVID-19. I really feel like I am contributing to my community.”

Intensifying the race against time to keep people safe

Every day trained health care workers, enter key personal and demographic data on every COVID-19 vaccinees into an online database. This helps the Government to track the vaccine recipient for the second dose and monitor any adverse events following vaccination. Photo: WHO

Along with many other countries around the world, Somalia too is in a race against time to boost the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines and keep communities safe. As the pattern of COVID-19 cases continued to surge and plummet, on 8 August 2021, another shipment of 108 000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, donated by the Government of France through the COVAX Facility, landed in Somalia. A week later, the United States of America donated a consignment of 302 400 doses of Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccines, also supplied through the COVAX Facility.   

To protect more Somalis, and boost vaccine uptake, the Ministry of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with WHO, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners, have introduced various strategies. For instance, they deployed special outreach teams of vaccinators to visit different areas in Banadir during the last round of campaign. The same strategy was used in Somaliland. In addition to searching for people with COVID-19 to offer them the right support, community health workers have been trained to explain the benefits of vaccination and COVID-19 preventive measures.  

So far, Somalia has 18 019 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 982 deaths. As of 12 September 2021, of the 408 000 doses of AstraZeneca, 200 000 doses of Sinopharm and 302 400 doses of Johnson & Johnson doses received by Somalia either through COVAX directly or through donation via the COVAX, 342 063 doses (83%) have been administered, with 116 267 Somalis having been fully vaccinated (0.77%). 

Together, the Ministry of Health and Human Services, State ministries, WHO, UNICEF and other partners are regularly meeting to monitor vaccine uptake, manage the distribution of and monitor life-saving supplies, and strengthen strategies to interrupt transmission of the disease. 

Acknowledging the crucial role of donors 

The response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Somalia has been made possible with the generous support of donors and partners, particularly the European Union (EU) Delegation to Somalia which has provided funding to cover the operational costs for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations all across the country.  This support has enabled the country to roll out the vaccination against COVID-19 effectively to end the pandemic and help in recovery of the health systems towards building a fairer and healthier world. 

Mogadishu, 31 August 2021 – The Ministry of Health of the Federal Republic of Germany has made in-kind donations of surgical and medical masks to the World Health Organization (WHO) over the past months. As part of this donation, the WHO country office in Somalia, received today 1 386 000 surgical and medical face masks for its work in Somalia as part of its coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response. H.E. Annett Günther, the German Ambassador to Somalia, handed over the masks to Dr Mamunur Rahman Malik, the WHO Representative to Somalia, in the presence of Mr Omar Hussein Ali, Chargé d’Affaires at the Somali Embassy to Kenya, during a small event held on 31 August at the Ambassador’s residence.

This support comes at a time when Somalia is facing a new wave of COVID-19 infections. Since the outbreak began on March 2020, Somalia has reported 16 831 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 913 deaths, as of 21 August 2021.

In a statement made at the handover event, Dr Mamunur Rahman Malik stated, “The surgical face masks we have received are an immensely valuable public health resource for Somalia, as they will indeed offer a shield of protection for many frontline workers, including health workers, vulnerable populations, and other community members, not only from COVID-19 but also from other infectious respiratory diseases. As every country is facing a rise in case counts, possibly due to new variants which are spreading fast across the world, it is imperative for all Somalis to keep wearing the face masks to keep safe and protected. Wearing masks in public places, especially in mass gatherings, not only reduces the risk of transmission but may also reduce the possibility of new variants of COVID-19 emerging”.

 “We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Government of Germany for partnering with WHO and the Government of Somalia to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” added Dr Malik. In addition to the masks, Germany has also provided support in the form of US $1 million through a global contribution in support of the WHO country office’s response to COVID-19 in Somalia.

German Ambassador Annett Günther underlines that “Germany stands with Somalia in the fight against the global pandemic. In midst of a resurgence of cases in Somalia Germany complements its financial contributions of €2.2 billion  to the multilateral ACT-A initiative with in-kind support in form of 1.3 million surgical masks to Somalia. Even with vaccination programmes rolling out it is important to work together and protect each other by complying with hygiene and distance measures. We are confident that both the masks, as well as the deliveries of vaccines via the COVAX Facility in the past weeks will benefit Somalia’s population greatly and help get through this precarious time.”

The face masks will be distributed to the Federal Government and Federal Member States of Somalia as part of COVID-19 response activities, to be used by the general population, as well as frontline workers involved in managing public services amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in the country.  

For additional information, kindly contact: 

Judith Gosmann
Policy Officer Somalia Unit
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+254 758 726 179

Fouzia Bano
WHO Chief of Staff ai, Communications Officer
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+252 619 235 880 

19 August 2021 – World Humanitarian Day recognizes aid workers who put their lives on the line to help others, particularly during times of crisis. At the World Health Organization (WHO) country office in Somalia, humanitarian workers conduct their duties without hesitating, standing tall in the face of all kinds of challenges to support the Federal and State Government to ensure every last person can access health care.

This year, World Humanitarian Day is highlighting the immediate human cost of the climate crisis and raising awareness for leaders to take meaningful climate action for the world’s most vulnerable people. 

Humanitarians working behind the scenes 

In Somalia, climate changes have exacerbated a string of events – including recurrent floods, drought and cyclones, which in turn breed waterborne and vector-borne diseases and limit access to regular health services.  

The timely and adequate response to prevent these diseases requires the pre-positioning of emergency medical supplies and other equipment in anticipation of any public health event that may constitute an outbreak. 

Forty-six-year-old Hussein Hersi Shire has an important role at WHO related to this part of the emergency health response. Like a link in a chain, he coordinates the delivery and arrival of life-saving medical supplies into Mogadishu from various countries, storage at the WHO warehouse and then he coordinates with other warehouse colleagues to ensure supplies and equipment are distributed further to the states and communities in need.

Climbing the ranks with his dedication 

Hersi is a popular humanitarian worker at WHO, as his colleagues recently nominated him for being a star performer of the year for his dedication, commitment and outstanding service to the Organization. A lean, modest man with an unassuming smile, he leads this humanitarian work of the Organization from behind the scenes. Starting his career as a guard at WHO in 1996, he climbed the ranks over the years and now serves as a logistics assistant based at the main WHO warehouse in Mogadishu.  

Hersi believes he was able to advance his career by being honest, hard working, respecting other colleagues with different cultural backgrounds and maintaining his vision towards his goal. 

A father of four Hersi makes a special mention of the support he has received from the WHO country office team, particularly the current Representative to WHO Somalia, Dr Mamunur Malik, whom he credits for giving WHO employees the opportunity to be part of life-saving activities, while motivating them in various ways.

Explaining what humanitarian work means to him, Hersi has a glow in his eyes as he responds, “Since the security situation of Somalia is unpredictable, every morning before I leave to go to work, I have to assess the security of the road between my home and working premises. But work is important for me. Being a humanitarian worker entails helping communities and identifying their needs and the challenges they face. As we contribute in different ways, I feel as I support to deliver life-saving supplies, I am contributing to creating sustainable answers for real change.”

Somalia receives 302 400 Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccines to protect more Somalis from COVID-19   

 High-level representatives from the Federal Ministry of Health and Human Services, the Embassy of the United States of America (USA), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Assistance Mission (UNSOM) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Somalia receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccines donated by the Government of USA through the COVAX Facility on 12 August at the Aden Adde International Airport, Mogadishu. Credit: Mukhtar Nuur, UNSOM

17 August 2021 – While Somalia witnesses yet another spike in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, on 12 August 2021, the Federal Government of Somalia received a consignment of 302 400 doses of Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccines, donated by the United States of America through the COVAX Facility. The COVAX Facility is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the World Health Organization (WHO), alongside the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). 

WHO is providing technical support to the federal and state ministries of health for the successful roll out of COVID-19 vaccines across the country along with its key partners, notably UNICEF.  

“In this tight race against time, we are working with the Government of Somalia to bring this vaccination programme against COVID-19 to a speed and scale so that most of the high-risk populations are vaccinated,” said Dr Mamunur Rahman Malik, WHO Representative to Somalia. “We cannot emphasize enough how important it is to ensure vaccines reach all populations equitably, though, no matter where they live. It is only with support from donors such as the Government of the United States of America that will we be able to reach all eligible people, particularly vulnerable populations and those living in difficult-to-reach locations.”     

WHO works closely with partners such as UNICEF for the safe storage of vaccines and community engagement, and the World Food Programme (WFP) for the delivery of vaccines and other life-saving equipment to far-flung areas which remain largely inaccessible by road.   

The Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been donated by the Government of the United States of America, through the COVAX Facility, which is working to create more equity in vaccine delivery across the world. Mogadishu, August. Credit: Mukhtar Nuur, UNSOM

Current status 

Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, 16 103 laboratory-confirmed cases, including 864 deaths, have been reported in Somalia. So far, the COVID-19 vaccination uptake among the general population remains low. Less than 1% of the population in the country have so far been fully vaccinated in Somalia: as of 16 August 2021, only 93 516 Somalis have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 187 578 people have received their first dose. This low uptake resulted partly from the unpredictable supply of vaccines in Somalia and partly from the fact that agencies like WHO and UNICEF have faced financial constraints to support the operational cost for the roll out of vaccines. As the supply situations improve and many donors, including GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, have pledged funding for the operational cost, the situation looks promising for improving the uptake of vaccines. 

With the arrival of these single-shot vaccines, the Federal Government, with support from WHO, UNICEF and other partners, will organize both fixed and outreach posts to vaccinate more high-risk people. Another strategy which the Government is contemplating with these single-shot vaccines is to cover the nomads and internally displaced population. Approximately 26% of the country’s population who are nomadic and an estimated 2.6 million people who are internally displaced in the country can benefit from this vaccination campaign, which is expected to kick off in the coming days.

Additionally, considering that 75% of its population is under 30 years of age, the recent decision of the Government to include all Somalis aged above 18 years in the COVID-19 vaccination programme is also expected to increase the uptake using these newly arrived single-shot vaccines.  

Use of digital innovations for immunization 

From the onset of the arrival of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines, with support from WHO, Somalia has used a mobile telephone-based electronic registration system to register people being vaccinated. Known as CommCare, and first developed by the software company Dimagi, this system has enabled frontline health workers who manage vaccination posts to be efficient and effective in capturing essential information about vaccines.