Fighting infectious diseases has become a global priority, with adequate epidemic response critical in today’s environment. QUT alumnus Amanda McClelland shares her experience of working on the COVID-19 frontline.
Amanda is the Senior Vice President of Prevent Epidemics at Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies in New York. Amanda is a registered nurse and is leading the COVID-19 response for Vital Strategies.
How has the nature of your work shifted during this pandemic?
The difference for me and my organization (Vital Strategies) is that before COVID-19, I had a staff of 18 and a budget of US$14 million focused on epidemic preparedness. We were travelling around the world, delivering support directly, often to governments. Now we have a team of 160 people and a budget of US$90 million, and no one can travel overseas
Before coronavirus, my team was trying to prepare countries for something like this. Unfortunately, the world had a wakeup call with Ebola, but we did not implement those lessons learned before COVID-19 began. My work has now had to shift from epidemic prevention to epidemic response. We are providing technical support and resources to 63 countries globally, with our central focus on supporting African countries to respond to COVID-19.
What have been the challenges you have faced?
The rapid scale-up and the change of modality, in terms of how we provide support internationally, was a huge change. The complexity of the science changing regularly, and how we have to adapt has also been hard.
One of the challenges in many countries where we work is that there isn’t enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to support the staff on the frontlines. In Uganda, we are working with the local labs to create hand sanitizer because many of the health facilities don’t have running water. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, we are producing face masks for health care workers. In Ethiopia, we are working with a company to make face shields.
Another challenge is to support health care workers to be safe during this time so that we do not lose the gains on other health challenges that have been made.
Talk us through a regular day during COVID-19.
I spend 12 hours on the phone, and then I spend five hours answering emails. Calls in the morning are with partners in Africa. In the afternoon, I am coordinating with different teams in the U.S. and other countries on projects. I spend some time generating and ensuring distribution of more funds. I also take time to review new science and make sure that it is in line with the guidelines and tools we are developing.
If you could share one learning or piece of advice from this pandemic experience, what would it be?
The importance of critical leadership and good management. We see systems that aren’t as strong with good political leadership and support, and they have been able to manage the outbreak and save lives. We have seen systems that are technically robust, but which have failed under COVID-19. Leadership is critical.
How have you dealt with long hours and preserving your physical and mental health?
I took a week off. I also took up the ukulele for the first time. Finding that time for self-preservation is definitely a challenge.
What motivates you to continue doing this important work?
The commitment and stories from the teams on the ground. They are looking for support and working hard. I want to do what I can to make sure that they have what they need.
Have you experienced any uplifting, feel-good moments; moments of solidarity; or community support that you would like to share?
We had a very small epidemic prevention team of 18, and the whole organization decided to pivot to this area in March. We grew to 160 people, and everyone was willing to pitch in. The collaboration across multiple teams with people around the world is moving.
What advice would you give to upcoming graduates?
Nursing is extremely diverse. You don’t have to hit the wards. There are many ways to support communities and the health of communities. Clinical expertise is essential, but you can apply it outside of the hospital. Not just on the individual, but on systems.