OPODNE’s COVID Prevention Campaign

In June, with COVID cases surging in Haiti and hospital beds filling up, OPODNE re-launched its grassroot education and prevention campaign. In June OPODNE’s director, Florcie Tyrell and health team were interviewed by eight radio stations in Northeast Haiti. With generous support from the Conrad Hilton Foundation, they contracted with local residents to sew more than 2,000 masks and printed and distributed 6,500 flyers on how to prevent COVID.  They trained 130 grassroots leaders, who each reached out to a minimum of ten other households, reaching a total of 1,300 families and 6,500 people. They also distributed buckets with masks, hand sanitizer, soap and bleach to churches, police precincts, and markets in 13 towns and villages where OPODNE works.

OPODNE is also working with the Health Director in the Northeast Department and other organizations to develop a plan to distribute vaccines effectively and equitably. The Department has the capacity to store and administer Johnson & Johnson as well as Astra-Zeneca vaccines (J&J vaccines are preferred because they are one-dose and done, and there has been a lot of bad press about Astra-Zeneca). Once vaccines arrive, the priority will be to vaccinate health workers and people over 50 years with co-morbidity.