I Lesatele
A daily average of 118 new COVID virus carriers are showing up in the last 14 days or two weeks since the first community case appeared from 17 March 2022 to 30 March 2022.
As of last Wednesday, 30 March 2022, the most recent count of total carriers is up to 1,665.
The 22nd March 2022 recorded the biggest number of positive cases of 220.
Data shows that highly infected are people in the age category of 25 to 29 years. They made up 13.5% ( 225) of those infected as at 30th March. They are followed by those in the category 20 to 24 years with 182 cases which is (10.9%) of the infected population over this period.
The lowest number of people tested positive apart from the unknown category were children aged five years to nine years. 39 got the virus which is 2 percent.
Forty five percent (45 %) of the positive cases during this period were those in the age groups of 15 years to 34 years. This group include students and working people who have a high mobility rate as they commute for education and work where they congregate in large numbers.
Of the people who tested positive 97 percent (1618) people are in Upolu with only 3% (47) in Savaii. The islands of Manono and Apolima remain COVID free.
It has also been recorded that more women are testing positive- 57% to 43 percent of men as at 28th March.
A hundred and ninety eight (198) people in the age group of 55 years upwards have tested positive to the virus. This is 12 percent of those infected so far. People of this age group are considered the most vulnerable in catching the virus.
The number of children 0-4 years old totalled at 85 during this period and this is 5% of the people infected.
There are no cases at the Intensive Care Unit in the hospital but seven are in the Isolation Unit at Moto’otua Hospital. Currently there are 1,3353 active cases.
Samoa’s is continuing with its community testing and its vaccination roll out.
It has been announced by Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa that mass vaccination booster doses would be administered for both people of Upolu and Savaii this week and a mop up campaigns of the first doses for children 5 to 11 years and for second doses for those 11-17 years and 18 plus.
A total of 18,805 tests have been administered over this period and 331,987 doses of vaccine. So far 96.4 per cent of Samoa’s eligible population for the vaccine has received their first dose, 69.1% their second dose and 13.5% of those aged over 18 years have received their booster shots.