July 2022 – To address lower uptake among males compared to females and promote vaccine uptake among the 30-54 years, the 'Drive Through' vaccination initiative was launched in October 2021 in Botswana. In partnership with UNICEF, Red Cross and FHI360, the Initiative was designed by the RCCE sub-committee of the National Task Force (NTF) jointly with the Health Promotion and Education Department.

Targeting the busy working people and males who don't like going to health centers, the 'Drive Through' Initiative aims to provide a relatively quick and convenient vaccination service. Vaccinees need to queue in their cars, then drive towards the health worker to receive a single-dose J&J vaccine and get their vaccination cards instantly.

To reach more targeted people, UNICEF trained 100 staff for the pilot activity in collaboration with Gaborone District Health Management Team (DHMT) and positioned the Initiative in the National Risk Communication Campaign – 'Arm Ready.' These drive-through services were promoted in primetime radio shows, on national popular TV morning shows, and reflected in the 7 pm and 9 pm news. Social media coverage and public sharing of their experiences also contributed to the demand creation. At drive-through sites, COVID-19 prevention messaging was delivered to queuing vaccinees to reinforce public education.

The pilot initiative in Gaborone was successful, with 4,979 people vaccinated in only 3 days, against a target of 4000 in 4 days. A 4-day model was then adapted and replicated in other areas in the country. Total national vaccination uptake for the first dose increased from 34.2% to 70.4% between October and November 2021.

Lessons Learnt and Recommendations:

• Innovative RCCE approaches that align with the target population's behavioral patterns have a higher likelihood of success.

• Government ownership of health strategies/initiatives builds trust among the targeted audience.

• Social media was a key driver of the Initiative. Public awareness to foster behavior change through social media is self-driven with satisfied end-users.

• The Initiative created a "vaccine preference" scenario, as it seemed to position J&J as a better choice of COVID-19 vaccine.

• Demand generation initiatives need to be aligned with the supply side to avoid vaccine stockout.