COVINFORM - Analysis: Public Health Responses and Impact Assessment

The COVINFORM project explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated national,
regional, and local responses, including a special focus on the impact on vulnerable and marginalized
groups. The project aims to develop solutions, guidelines and recommendations to ensure that the
needs of vulnerable and marginalised groups are appropriately considered in potential further waves
of COVID-19 and future pandemics. This report examines the public health responses to the COVID-19
pandemic in various dimensions: health vulnerabilities; the institutional, legal, and data collection
factors influencing public health responses; communication around vaccines and vaccination
campaigns; and the impacts of COVID-19 on healthcare workers. Preliminary findings on health
vulnerabilities provided already some insights in the definition and operationalisation of vulnerabilities
in public health responses. The policies implemented in the different countries and their success in
reducing health inequalities were also addressed in the report. Finally, the vulnerability of health care
workers and public health policy and decision makers during the pandemic was analysed.
On the institutional, legal, and data collection factors influencing public health responses, our analyses
indicated that newly emerging collaborations between institutional organisations suggest a different
understanding of and approach towards dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. New collaborations and
pre-established ones had different contributions and impacts on the public health responses, as for
instance shown in Wales.

On the communication around vaccines and vaccination campaigns, our literature review revealed that
the communication campaigns around COVID-19 vaccines across the 15 countries studied in the
COVINFORM project were not sufficient. Recommendations were made to improve vaccine
communication strategies.

On the impacts of COVID-19 on healthcare workers, a thematic analysis of the qualitative interviews
of the healthcare workers in the consortium partners’ countries was conducted. These interviews
focused on the healthcare workers’ working conditions and realities, mental health, access to care
services and their recommendations on the healthcare response to vulnerable groups' needs and to
improve vaccination campaigns. The healthcare workers provided insights on hindering and facilitating
factors during the design and roll-out of the vaccination campaigns. They provided suggestions on how
to improve the access to care services.