IMAC’s role in the Pacific focuses on vaccination training and support for the Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine. However, closed borders during the height of the pandemic forced much of the training to go fully remote. Local conditions also presented challenges.
“The internet connections on some of the islands did not permit everyone to use Zoom or in some cases to access the online learning platform at all,” says Moelagi Leilani Jackson, IMAC’s Pacific Islands programme manager. “We used a train-the-trainer approach where countries would select their leads, we’d train them, and they’d train the nurses who didn’t have access to the internet.”
IMAC shipped over equipment in advance to ensure learners had access to the items being demonstrated. It also provided printable materials.