Covid19 Pacific Update - 03 September 20
New Zealand has entered its fourth week of Covid19 community transmission after the initial lockdown earlier in the year. New Zealand is now at Alert Level 2.5 restrictions for Auckland (masks on public transport mandatory plus restrictions on mass gatherings) and Alert Level 2 restrictions for the rest of the country have been extended.
We're giving daily updates via the Ministry of Health and the Prime Minister on our Facebook page.
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Here is our update for the Pacific Region below -
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PACIFIC ISLANDS
16 nations & territories in the Pacific have not reported a single Covid19 case and remain Coronavirus FREE!
* American Samoa, the only US jurisdiction, state or territory without a confirmed Covid19 case
* Cook Islands - they have decided to re-open their borders but only to returning residents
* Federated States of Micronesia
* Kiribati
* Marshall Islands
* Nauru
* Niue
* Norfolk Island
* Palau
* Samoa
* Solomon Islands
* Tokelau
* Tonga
* Tuvalu
* Vanuatu
* Wallis & Futuna^
2 Pacific Islands nations/territories are now Covid19 FREE although they had positive cases earlier in the year
* New Caledonia^ - Last reported case was in early August and all reported cases have recovered. They have extended travel restrictions in and out of the territory because of the Covid-19 pandemic until 27 March with the President stating that "to stay Covid-19 free, flights would remain strictly limited and the two-week compulsory quarantine in government-run facilities would be continued"
Full story here
* Rapa Nui (Easter Island) - The last active case was in April and on the 1st of July they re-opened schools.
^ NB: Both New Caledonia & Wallis and Futuna have identified passengers on a flight between Japan & Tokyo as close contacts. They are currently in isolation facilities in both Noumea and Wallis & Futuna. So far none of these close contacts have tested positive.
Full story here
COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANAS - 57 total cases since March and 2 deaths, 24 new cases since middle of July.
A sailor who deployed from Guam to Tinian tested positive for COVID-19 last Sept. 1, making him the first person on Tinian to contract the coronavirus, bringing the cumulative COVID-19 cases in the CNMI to 57.
Full story here
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FIJI - 29 Cases since March & 2 deaths, 4 active cases
Fiji has confirmed a new case of Covid-19 in border quarantine. The Health Ministry said the latest patient was a nurse who worked at the quarantine facility.
The Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong, said the nurse contracted the virus while treating patients with Covid-19. The 4 active cases are all imported cases currently in managed isolation
Full story here
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FRENCH POLYNESIA - 596 cases since 15 July when borders were opened to international travellers.
10 people are in hospital, including three in intensive care. The average age of most hospitalised is 52yrs. Most cases were located in urban areas of Tahiti, but also in Bora Bora and Raiatea.
The surge of Covid-19 last month alarmed unions who threatened with a general strike from tomorrow if the government refused to improve protection and re-introduce a two-week quarantine for arriving travellers.
The government rejected the call, saying tourism could not to be isolated from the rest of the economy, which was at risk of being sunk by industrial action. The quarantine requirement was abandoned in the middle of July when flights restarted to revive international tourism.
The latest outbreak has infected nine times more people than the first wave from March to June.
via Radio New Zealand story here & TNTV news here
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GUAM - 1,560 cases since March, 14 deaths and 866 active cases.
Forty-seven new COVID-19 cases were reported to the Department of Public Health and Social Services, according to a release from the Joint Information Center. on Wednesday.
As of Friday morning, there were 49 people with COVID-19 at Guam Memorial Hospital, according to Krystal Paco-San Agustin, spokeswoman for the Office of the Governor.
Twelve of those patients were receiving intensive care unit (ICU) level of care, including 10 on ventilator support.
“The stress placed upon GMH is nothing like we have seen before,” Leon Guerrero said.
The stay at home order has been extended until the 11th of September
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HAWAI'I - 9,202 total cases since March, 79 deaths and 6,345 active cases.
Hawaii reported four additional COVID-19 fatalities yesterday, pushing the death toll from the virus in the islands to 74.
Since Aug. 1, amid a surge in COVID-19 infections on Oahu, Hawaii has seen 52 coronavirus deaths and on Monday, seven fatalities were reported. “We have seen an increase in the number of deaths in the past few days,” said Gov. David Ige, at a news conference Tuesday. “It certainly is heartbreaking. Any death is a tragedy.”
Nearly 6,000 cases remain “active,” meaning they haven’t yet been released from isolation. The state said more than 530 people statewide have required hospitalization since the pandemic began.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - 471 total confirmed cases since March, 5 deaths and 234 active cases
Papua New Guinea's West New Britain has reported its first Covid-19 cases, making it the 12th province to record an infection.
West New Britain had earlier failed to send samples for testing last month. The province's two new cases, coupled with nine in the National Capital District, bring the country's number of coronavirus infections to 471.
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