Pacific Nations strengthen laboratory capacities program during the COVID-19 pandemic

Driven by the heightened demand during the pandemic, Ministries of Health across the Pacific have spent the past few years strengthening their laboratory services with support from partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO). By the end of the pandemic, all Pacific Island countries had the capacity for laboratory testing for COVID-19. This capacity now needs to be maintained and further built upon, including expanding the scope of diseases able to be tested. WHO is supporting Pacific Island countries to implement testing for Influenza-like illness/severe acute respiratory illness, and to test for diseases like Measles and Rubella. However, the combined efforts of Pacific Governments and other partners will be needed to ensure that the entire Pacific can benefit from expanded testing capacity in the future.