Results for COVID-19

The damage caused by COVID-19 – exacerbated by the continued appearance of new variants, most recently Omicron – has been catastrophic. More than five million lives worldwide have already been lost to COVID-19, and with confirmed cases on track to swell from 260 million today to 460 million by next autumn, the World Health Organization estimates that five million more people may die from the disease in the coming months. While 95% of adults in low-income countries remain unprotected, by the end of 2021, 100 million vaccine doses in the G20 stockpile will pass their expiration date and be wasted. This is perhaps the greatest public policy failure of our times. So, when the World Health Assembly (WHA) gathers for a special session starting on November 29, its task is nothing less than preventing the recurrence of such a tragedy. By Gordon Brown.

The roll out of second doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 12 – 17 year olds will start in schools tomorrow, Dr ‘Ofa Tukia from the Ministry of Health confirmed today.

The repatriation flights that were scheduled to arrive in Tonga at the end of this year have been "all deferred to next year", MEIDECC confirmed today. Meanwhile, all of the 215 repatriates from Christchurch, including the COVID-19 case who was later confirmed as a historical case, were released from quarantine yesterday, after testing negative to COVID-19 in their last round of tests.

Tonga Police made 124 arrests, including 36 people who gathered to drink kava, for breaching restrictions directions and curfews, during Tongatapu's one-week lockdown.

A COVID-19 test result that is a “weak positive” is not a “false positive”, Ministry of Health CEO Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola confirmed to Matangi Tonga today. He was responding to public comments regarding the meaning of the test results from Tonga's first COVID case.

At this stage there is no delay to Tonga’s General Election scheduled for November 18, Electoral Commissioner, Pita Vuki, told Matangi Tonga today, despite the week-long lockdown on Tongatapu restricting candidates from campaigning.

A lockdown for the island of Tongatapu will start at one minute past midnight, tonight (12:01am November 2) with stricter social distancing measures enforced to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19. It means that everyone must stay at home, except for services that are designated essential. Meanwhile, no community transmission of COVID-19 has been detected.

Tonga's health officials have not yet confirmed one COVID-positive test from a passenger who arrived in Tonga from Christchurch on the evening of Wednesday 27 October. No official announcement has been made but a statement from the Prime Minister's Office is expected later today, Friday

Tonga will be on New Zealand’s one-way quarantine-free travel list along with Samoa, Vanuatu and Tokelau starting on November 8, but only for people who have the right to reside permanently in New Zealand as well as people covered by border exceptions.