https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-themedia-briefing-on-COVID-19---11-march-2020 (accessed on 25 March 2021). 2. World Health Organization. WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard with Vaccination Data. Available online: https://covid19. who.int/ (accessed on 25 March 2021). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 5737 13 of 14 3. Asem, N.; Ramadan, A.; Hassany, M.; Ghazy, R.M.; Abdallah, M.; Ibrahim, M.; Gamal, E.M.; Hassan, S.; Kamal, N.; Zaid, H. Pattern and determinants of COVID-19 infection and mortality across countries: An ecological study. Heliyon 2021, 7, e07504. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 4. Hassaan, M.A.; Abdelwahab, R.G.; Elbarky, T.A.; Ghazy, R.M. GIS-Based Analysis Framework to Identify the Determinants of COVID-19 Incidence and Fatality in Africa. J. Prim. Care Community Health 2021, 12, 21501327211041208. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 5. Abbasi, J. Younger adults caught in COVID-19 crosshairs as demographics shift. JAMA 2020, 324, 2141–2143. [CrossRef] [PubMed] 6. Lenzen, M.; Li, M.; Malik, A.; Pomponi, F.; Sun, Y.-Y.; Wiedmann, T.; Faturay, F.; Fry, J.; Gallego, B.; Geschke, A. Global socio-economic losses and environmental gains from the Coronavirus pandemic. PLoS ONE 2020, 15, e0235654. [CrossRef] 7. Bundgaard, H.; Bundgaard, J.S.; Raaschou-Pederse CONSULTANT TO CONDUCT RESEARCH ON FACTORS INFLUENCING COVID19 VACCINE UPTAKE AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN JAMAICA 21 February 2022- 17 June 2022 1. BACKGROUND On 30 January 2020, the Director-General (DG) of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) following advice from the Emergency Committee. The outbreak was characterized as a pandemic by the DG on 12 March 2020, with calls for countries to take urgent and aggressive action. On 5 March 2020, the Pan-American Organization (PAHO) launched its COVID-19 Response Strategy and Donor Appeal to support COVID-19 preparedness and response efforts in the Region of the Americas. This Strategy/Appeal was updated in August 2020 to align with the 9 pillars of the WHO’s 2020 COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP 2020) and expand the support to Member States beyond the acute phase of the response, and account for the complex and longer-term impact of the public health response to the pandemic. PAHO’s regional strategy for the year 2021, aims to sustain and scale-up the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Americas, suppress the community transmission of the virus and mitigate the longer-term health impact of the pandemic. It builds on the work undertaken by national authorities and communities throughout 2020, with the support of PAHO, its donors and partners and the international community as a whole. It is fully aligned with WHO’s 2021 COVID-19 SPRP. It incorporates lessons learned over the last year to tackle persistent and newly arising challenges such as the need to mitigate risks related to new variants and the safe, equitable and effective delivery of diagnostics and vaccines. It includes estimated funding requirements to implement priority public health measures for countries in the Region of the Americas to successfully tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccines constitute a critical new tool in the battle against COVID-19 and has been included as Pillar 10 of the COVID 19 Response Strategy 2021. The Ministry of Health and Wellness, Jamaica, commenced its phased COVID-19 vaccination implementation in March 2021. Older adults were among the priority group to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, however, despite increased supply of vaccines, the vaccine uptake remains low among older adults. Given the vulnerabilities of the older population, increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake is critical. 2. OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY To conduct research to determine the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine uptake among older adults in Jamaica. 2 3. SCOPE OF WORK • Become familiar with the SAGE Working Group ‘Determinants of Vaccine Hesitancy Matrix.’ • Develop a detailed workplan outlining activities to achieve project objective. • Develop and conduct research to determine the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine uptake among older adults in Jamaica. 4. SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES • Conduct desk review and stakeholder consultations to inform the situation regarding vaccine uptake among older adults in Jamaica. The situation analysis should include an examination of existing national data to describe vaccine uptake among older adult by geographical location, gender and age group. It should also include stakeholders’ perceptions of factors influencing vaccine uptake among older adults, and sources of influence. • Conduct research among older adults in Jamaica to determine the factors influencing vaccine uptake, using the SAGE Working Group ‘Determinants of Vaccine Hesitancy Matrix’ as a framework. • Develop key recommendations for increasing vaccine uptake among older adults in Jamaica. 5. REQUIREMENT OF THE CONSULTANT The preferred candidate should meet the following criteria: a. Have a Master of Public Health or other related master’s degree. b. Have at least five years post graduate working experience.