The Vaccination Process against the COVID-19: Opportunities, Problems and mHealth Support

Abstract

The vaccination against the COVID-19, finally available, has the potential to represent an important defence against the pandemic. The identification of both obstacles and tools to combat them are, at this moment, of strategic importance. Previous experiences on vaccinations have shown solutions and paths to take, also based on the behavioural sciences. The objective of the opinion is to face how mobile technology can help us both to fight these problems and to optimize the vaccination process. The opinion has four polarities. The first polarity consists in having detected the problems hampering an effective vaccination process. These problems have been grouped into the following four: Electronic and Informatic divide, Escape, Exposure risk, and Equity. The second polarity consists in having verified how the mobile technology can be useful to face the identified problems. The third polarity highlights the usefulness and importance of using electronic surveys. These tools are based on mobile technology. They are useful problem sensors for the stakeholders. The fourth polarity faces how mobile technology and mHealth can be of aid to optimize the flow of the vaccination process, from the first call up to the certification. This polarity is supported by an example based on the Italian national App IO. The study highlights: (a) on one side, the potential of mobile technology; on the other side, the need for interventions to reduce the digital divide with the purpose to increase its use. (b) How the role of mobile technology can be complementary to other intervention methods.