Economics of vaccine delivery

The efficiency of a vaccine delivery system can be measured as the cost per dose administered and can vary widely based on a country’s delivery system and local costs of labor, capital, and logistics. Because vulnerable populations can be more costly to reach, a sole focus on efficiency might have an unintended consequence of defeating a goal of equity and the reduction of vaccination coverage disparities. Mixed delivery systems for vaccines that involve both public and private vaccinators can sustain a wider variety of financial supports including private sector insurance premiums as well as tax-supported government health systems. Another possible downside of a sole focus on efficiency as cost per dose might be the sacrifice of the quality of operations in terms of safety, client centeredness, resilience, and adherence to the vaccine schedule.