VAS & COVID-19 - The Global Alliance for Vitamin A (GAVA)

The Global Alliance for Vitamin A (GAVA) and its partner agencies have developed the following products to provide countries with evidence-informed programmatic guidance on how to plan and implement vitamin A supplementation (VAS) in the context of COVID-19. These resources will be updated as new evidence emerges and the COVID-19 pandemic progresses.

GAVA’s resources on VAS and COVID-19 are also available in French – click here to be redirected to GAVA’s French resources.

	Webinar: Global experiences implementing VAS in the context of COVID-19 GAVA hosted a webinar on February 24th, 2021 to highlight some of the innovative approaches used to support VAS delivery in the context of COVID-19 and hear how countries adapted their VAS programs to ensure the continuity of VAS throughout the pandemic.
	Webinar: Operationalizing VAS in the context of COVID-19 GAVA hosted a webinar on July 9, 2020, to review the operational guide on the administration of VAS for preschool-aged children in the context of COVID-19, and to answer questions from program managers and those working in the field. Click on the image to the left to view the webinar recording and to access the PowerPoint slides used during the webinar.
	Consensus Statement on universal VAS for preschool-aged children in the context of COVID-19 The GAVA consensus statement provides recommendations on VAS for preschool-aged children through campaigns and routine health and nutrition services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement serves as a consensus document based on GAVA’s review of WHO guidance for other services that use mass campaigns (e.g. vaccination) and routine health delivery platforms.
	Operational guidance on the administration of VAS for preschool-aged children in the context of COVID-19 This GAVA document provides comprehensive guidance on the programmatic adaptations recommended to safely administer VAS to preschool-aged children and maintain the continuity of VAS services during the COVID-19 pandemic. It contains guidance for program managers on preparing for the delivery of VAS, as well as detailed step-by-step instructions on how to safely deliver VAS using appropriate infection prevention and control measures.
	Decision-making framework for VAS campaigns during COVID-19 Countries experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks where VAD is a public health problem and under-5 mortality rates are high are faced with the challenge of finding the right balance between preventing the spread of COVID-19 and minimizing disruptions to VAS delivery. GAVA developed a decision-making framework and proposed process for a risk-benefit analysis to help countries that traditionally deliver VAS through campaigns decide how best to proceed with VAS delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
	Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) These FAQ were developed to complement GAVA’s resources on vitamin A supplementation (VAS) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
	Video job aids GAVA developed 3 short video job aids that review the steps required for frontline workers to safely administer VAS in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.