By Eleanor Gee

More than 10 suspected COVID-19 cases across the Pacific who had samples tested have come back negative, said Dr Yutaro Setoya, the World Health Organisation (WHO) country officer in Tonga.

“So far, all of it has confirmed negative, but of course, in case of positive, we need to do the protective measures.”

This number does not include Tonga’s one suspected COVID-19 case announced yesterday, where samples have been sent away for testing.

He added that even when there are no positive results, there is a need to respond properly and the Ministry of Health is doing a very good job.

“Everybody, all the health staff, all the different ministries, WHO, international partners are trying their best to try to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19.”

Dr Setoya said the virus is “a new threat to us”.

“And yes, it is challenging but we have a good partnership with partners, strong Ministry of Health leadership, so yes we are trying our best to prepare for the worst.”

COVID-19 has spread across the world with 95,125 confirmed cases, 3,254 deaths, and 51,186 recoveries according to Johns Hopkins University [2] on 5 March.

WHO training

Meanwhile, a group of WHO consultants from across the globe are in Tonga providing training on how to deal with COVID-19 cases that might eventually appear in Tonga.

“It’s training for several people, one is on the people at the Ministry of Health, the public health team, and also the staff at the hospital on how they can protect themselves from the virus, about handwashing, and use of protective measures and proper use of it so that they will be safe when they are seeing the patient,” said Dr Setoya.

“And also, we also trained with the point of entries, the seaport and the airport so they can do the screening at the airport properly. So, it’s about infection and control means.”

The Ministry of Health have put up a triage centre outside the Vaiola Hospital entrance, which WHO supports.

The centre will act as “a screening system so that when the suspect case[s] come to the hospital, we make sure that they will be isolated and then properly consulted after the isolation”.

Tonga's Ministry of Health said that results from the tests on the suspected case will not be known until 24 hours after the lab receives them. It is understood that the samples left Tonga this morning on a flight.

The suspected case is a 21 year old woman who developed pneumonia soon after arriving in Tonga on a flight from Sydney on Monday. Officials have not identified whether it was the direct flight on Virgin Pacific or a connecting flight with other airlines that serve Tonga.