By Staff Writer
A 16-year-old Samoan male tested positive for the coronavirus on arrival in Samoa on Friday, 12 February 2021 and is under managed quarantine at the isolation unit of the TTM Hospital, Moto’otua.
He is a Samoa national among the stranded travelers on the Air NZ990 flight that landed from New Zealand on Friday.
The Director General of Health Leausa Dr. Take Naseri said the carrier of the virus is asymptomatic and tested negative while on transit until the symptoms surfaced in Samoa.
He is the first person to carry in the virus who is not an historic case. The three others before him caught the virus outside Samoa and was treated before arrival.
Leausa released an official statement last Saturday evening to trace the events of the travel for the new carrier and his arrival on Friday:
1. Last night, 12th February 2021, a 16 year – old male passenger who arrived with his mother from California, USA on repatriation flight NZ990 tested positive for COVID 19 on arrival and again on repetition while in managed isolation at the TTM Isolation Unit last night.
2. He is asymptomatic and in good health. The 16-year old Samoan national travelled with his mother from California and transited through New Zealand on Wednesday 10th February for 26 hours before arriving in Samoa on Friday 12th February 2021.
3. The mother of the 16 year-old tested negative on arrival; has no symptoms and is being closely monitored at the quarantine site. She has been re-tested today 13th February and today’s results were negative.
4. All infection, prevention and control protocols have been strictly followed by the health workers, response teams and staff at the Airport, Quarantine sites and Isolation units. They will however, be tested again on Monday 15th February 2021.
5. At this time, seven other passengers are being closely monitored as tests have revealed that five have tested positive and are historical cases; and two are false positives.
Six of these passengers travelled from Australia and one from Sudan. They have all been retested and the results received later today are all negative.
6. Fifty (50) passengers from the repatriation flight NZ990 on Friday 22nd 2021, travelled from high-risk countries outside of New Zealand, such as (Australia, USA, United Kingdom, India, Nigeria, South Africa) have tested negative on arrival and routine testing will continue as per protocol.
7. Tests are conducted on arrival, on day five (5), on day 14, and on day 21 of quarantine. Passengers are also screened daily for symptoms.
8. Normal operations continue at TTM.
The Director General urged the public to continue to follow all prevention health guidance and reminded that the “main route of transmission remains through close contact with the droplets from an infected person and touching your face after touching surfaces contaminated with infected droplets.”
There was also a reminder to “wear masks, stay away from large crowds, maintain a distance of at least two metres from other persons, stay home if you are ill and call the COVID-119 Hotline for advice, cover your coughs and sneezes, do not touch your face, and clean your hands regularly with soap and clean water or hand sanitizer.”