By Staff Writer
The first recorded death of a Fijian in Fiji infected by the transmission of the COVID-19 virus within the community is ringing the alarm bells louder in Samoa.
The death last Wednesday 5 May 2021 comes in the first few weeks of the AstraZeneca vaccination rollout in Samoa with just under 9,000 injected.
While there has been no major complications reported since the roll out started, there is concern over the apparent lack of urgency by people to be vaccinated.
The Director General of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri, confirmed that only half the number of people were injected out of what they were anticipating.
“We were expecting to cover 15,000 people by now but we’ve only had 8,402 since we started our roll out,” Leausa said in a NEOC press conference at the start of last week.
Leausa blamed part of the slow down to the ‘last minute nature of our people.’
Fiji is only a short 1-hour and 50 minutes flight away and the concern is that the virus would only take that long to reach Samoa.
Fiji and Papua New Guinea were named as the two Pacific Island neighbours that are going through a difficult time with the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re better off in Samoa where we can move much more freely than the restrictions for movements in Fiji and Papua New Guinea,” Leausa continued.
He worried that all that could change if the virus sneaks in and triggers off stricter movements to mirror what the badly infected neighbours are going through.
NEOC Chairman Agafili Shem Leo described the good fortune Samoa enjoys free of the virus as a grace period that should be taken advantage off quickly with the vaccination roll out.
“This is the best time for us and the appeal is to our village men and women representatives for their support in making sure those eligible are vaccinated,” Agafili urged.
The overall roll out target is 130,000 people and the urgency to speed up the vaccination is to reach the herd immunity’ level of 98%-100% of this total number.
The quicker the target is reached the faster the border restrictions will start to ease up for travel.
If all goes to plan Samoa is expected to be ready for ‘bubble travel’ arrangements by next June –July when the second run of vaccination is done to complete the required 2-injections per person.
The recent death in nearby Fiji and the urgent appeal for people to be vaccinated remains to be seen over the coming weeks for any quick public response.
Fiji’s first pandemic death was reported by the country’s media at the Lautoka Hospital Intensive Care Unit where he was admitted since April 19th, for a surgical procedure.”
Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services, Dr James Fong, in a statement to media said the man was swabbed and tested positive for the virus after his condition started to deteriorate.
“As this case has shown, the virus can attack anyone, and with devastating consequences,” Dr Fong was reported by the media.
“We urge the public to show concern and sympathy for all people who become infected.
“We also urge the public once again to get tested if there is even a small chance you may have been exposed to the virus, to cooperate fully with the contact tracing teams, and to observe the practices that will keep us all safe.”
Back in Samoa the vaccination roll out is out to Vaimauga 3 and 4 extending to the heights of Vaoala, Vailima and sloping down to the Apia village west of town to Taufusi, Alamagoto and onwards.