According to today’s Solomon Star newspaper, Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare had his 2nd dose of COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine yesterday morning at the Central Field Hospital, Honiara, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Meanwhile, a statement from the government said, only 17 thousand plus doses have been administered out of the 74 thousand doses that the government is currently rolling out and securing additional vaccine supplies from partners.
Meanwhile, a statement from the government said, only 17 thousand plus doses were administered out of from the 74 thousand doses that the government is currently rolling out and we are securing additional vaccine supplies from our partners.
The Government is urging all persons 18 years and above in Honiara and parts of Guadalcanal with easy access the Central Field Hospital to come forward this week to get their first dose of Sinopharm vaccine and those who already have their 1st dose of AstraZeneca vaccine to come for their 2nd dose on the date indicated on their vaccination cards. It further urged that those who are essential workers and who are more likely to come in contact with COVID patients such as people operating buses and taxis and those working in markets to come forward and get vaccinated.
The government advice is wise and necessary. While the Solomon Islands is fortunately still free of the dreaded coronavirus, the situation in some regional countries and further afield is not as encouraging.
In neighbouring Cook Islands man who had been on holiday in Rarotonga since May 21, 2021 has tested positive for Covid-19, after requesting to be swabbed Friday evening.
The man who arrived in Auckland from Egypt on May 5, 2021, and tested positive on his Day 0 test when in managed isolation (MIQ) in Auckland, according to a statement issued by Te Marae Ora Ministry of Health
Fiji recorded 83 cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, its highest daily figure yet, as authorities moved to cordon off the country's largest hospital and quarantine an entire village as it battles to bring a rapidly growing outbreak under control.
11 of the cases were of unknown origin, said James Fong, the permanent secretary of health, and were being treated as cases of community transmission until proven otherwise.
Dr.Fong also announced that the country's largest hospital, the Commonwealth War Memorial Hospital in Suva, would be sealed off from the community and become a full-time Covid care facility, with tightly controlled movement.
"Access to laboratory, maternity and paediatric units will be through escalated screening protocols and package decontamination protocols," he said in a written statement late on Sunday night.
An additional field hospital to treat non-Covid patients will be set up in the hospital's vicinity, Fong said, with support from Australia.
The entire village of Mulomulo, in Nadi, has also been locked down after contact tracing investigators found more than 100 people had attended a funeral, which Fong said could become a super-spreader event. Currently, funerals are restricted to no more than ten people.
New clusters have also been confirmed in Naitasiri, to the north of Suva, including one patient who was recently discharged from the Commonwealth War Memorial Hospital.
"The high number of cases confirmed today signals a much larger proportion of cases in the community," Dr.Fong said. "We expect more days of high numbers of confirmed cases. We sadly expect more hospitalisations as more severe cases of the disease develop."
In the past week, large clusters have been recorded at two hospitals, the Navy, and the health ministry itself, including close advisors to Dr. Fong.
In PNG from 3 January 2020 to 6 June 2021 there have been 16, 325 confirmed cases of Covid-10 with 164 deaths
In the Australian state of Victoria there have been recorded 11 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases, including two reported yesterday that are linked to the Arcare Maidstone aged care facility.
It takes the state's current outbreak to about 80.
The results were detected among 24,265 tests received on Sunday, and there were 17,719 vaccine doses administered at state-run sites.
In Thailand from where I write, as of 5 June 2021, the health authorities reported 36 new Covid-19 fatalities and another 2,817 cases, bringing the totals to 1,213 deaths and 174,796 cases.
Comment.
It is clear that Covid-19 remains a constant threat regionally and globally and underscores the Solomon Islands government for all to be vaccinated with the vaccines that are available.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
