The Experience of Accelerated COVID-19 Immunization Campaign in Oman: A Review within the WHO Health System Building Blocks Framework

Oman launched its COVID-19 vaccination campaign in December 2020, navigating significant public health challenges with resilience and adaptability. The country faced global vaccine short-ages, community hesitancy, and diverse sociocultural and infrastructural obstacles. Despite these issues, Oman scaled up its COVID-19 vaccination efforts, administering over 7 million vaccine doses enough to cover approximately 71% of the population by mid-2022. The campaign, which operated through more than 44 vaccination centers nationwide, exemplified rapid implementation, strategic prioritization, and coordinated pandemic response. This paper examined the field experience of Oman’s COVID-19 accelerated mass vaccination campaign through the World Health Organization’s Health System Building Blocks framework. Key domains addressed include: 1) multi-sectoral collaboration underpinned by strong governance structures, 2) the role of primary health care facilities served as essential first responders during health crises, and safe handling of the vaccination procedures, 3) transparency and active community engagement, particularly through local leaders and social media in addressing vaccine hesitancy, 4) integration of digital health information systems to ensure unified and efficient data management, 5) building a resilient healthcare workforce through capacity enhancement and mental health support, and 6) importance of financial alternatives. Additionally, the critical role of global and regional partnerships in vaccine production and distribution was highlighted. Drawing on Oman’s experience, this review offers context-specific lessons for enhancing health system preparedness and guiding effective public health responses to infectious diseases emergencies.