Lay summary
With the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic claiming over 4 million deaths worldwide, devastating every aspect of society, to date there is still no definitive therapy. Vaccines are one of our most important health measures and critical in achieving stability and a new normality. Pacific people in New Zealand are at high risk of severe adverse outcomes due not only to socioeconomic factors and high chronic disease burden, but structural inequities in our health system, to name a few. With the recent measles epidemic in Samoa, which claimed 83 (documented) lives mostly due to a low vaccination rate for the measles vaccine, this research aims to explore the current knowledge, attitudes and practices of Samoans and Samoan health workers in New Zealand and in Samoa to aid in effective vaccine efficacy, and serve as a precursor to good pharmacovigilance support to this community.