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Samoa's health ministry looks to boost capacity to administer COVID-19 vaccines

Vials of Covid-19 vaccine
Source: RNZ Pacific

Apia, SAMOA — Samoa's Ministry of Health is moving to ensure all nurses are ready to administer the Covid-19 vaccine when it arrives.

The Director General of Health said they want to make sure that every registered nurse is able to administer the vaccine to allow more people to be immunised.

Leausa Dr Take Naseri said Samoa would be administering the AstraZeneca vaccine which is more manageable under tropical weather conditions.

The vaccine is produced in India and is one of two that have been given Emergency Use Listing by the World Health Organization.

TV1Samoa reported Leausa saying the need to prepare well for vaccination was one of the lessons learned during the 2019 measles outbreak.

He added that the National Emergency Operations Center has advised the government to delay flights that were scheduled for late February and early March.

The vaccine is expected in the country by the end of March.