Nurse Kath Olmstead prepares a shot as the world’s biggest study of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., gets underway Monday, July 27, 2020, in Binghamton, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
WINNIPEG — A new course at Red River College is preparing qualified people to administer the COVID-19 vaccine once it arrives in Manitoba.
The province is partnering with the college on the new eight-hour, micro-credential course, which encourages retired health-care workers, students and others with critical skills to apply.
“Our college community has stepped-up in the fight against COVID-19,” said Fred Meier, president and CEO, Red River College.
“They’ve met the challenges this pandemic has given us head on, worked around the clock, and found new and innovative ways to adapt, deliver our programs, while creating immediate, urgent, short bursts of training to keep Manitobans safe. That work won’t stop, and we will continue to leverage our skill and expertise to support our health-care providers – many of whom are grads – who are on the front lines of this pandemic every day.”
Course participants will learn about the virus, become familiar with safe COVID-19 vaccine procedures, learn about immunization and related anatomy, and understand best practices when vaccinating clients.
The course will include both an online portion as well as an in-person lab. It will be offered at no cost to participants and begin December 15 in Winnipeg. Additional communities will be able to take part in the near future. In order to participate in the course, individuals must first be hired as immunization team members through Shared Health Manitoba.
Further information on the course can be found at RRC.ca/vaccine.
Manitoba is receiving the first 1,950 doses of the Pfizer vaccine next week, with 228,000 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to arrive between now and March 31, 2021.
