Results for Health

New York Times reporting: The rise of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus has raised new questions about how the vaccinated can stay safe and avoid breakthrough infections. We asked the experts for advice. As long as large numbers of people remain unvaccinated, vaccinated people will be exposed to the Delta variant. “Vaccinations give you that extra protection you wouldn’t normally have,” says Dr. Erin Bromage. “But when you hit a big challenge, like getting near an unvaccinated person who has a high viral load, that wall is not always going to hold.”

A repatriation flight with over 200 passengers arrived in Tonga this afternoon from Auckland, New Zealand. Another flight is expected to arrive this evening from Brisbane, Australia with no passengers but will take out seasonal workers and others.

A total of 7,888 people are under quarantine, after health teams traced and tested primary and secondary contacts of existing COVID-19 cases during the Suva and Nausori four-day lockdown, according to Fiji's health officials on 18 May.

Tonga’s Public Health Emergency has been renewed to prevent or minimize the spread of COVID-19 within Tonga, starting from 8:00pm today until 8:00pm 7 June.

With only 60% of the first batch of Tonga's COVID-19 vaccines used as of this morning, 7 May, Tonga's Ministry of Health is extending the vaccination program to next week, 10-11 May at various venues. They confirmed that people from the outer islands who are currently in Tongatapu can get vaccinated here. Vaccinations are averaging over 900 per day.

New York Times reporting: Crematories are so full of bodies, it’s as if a war just happened. Fires burn around the clock. Many places are holding mass cremations, dozens at a time, and at night, in certain areas of New Delhi, the sky glows. Sickness and death are everywhere. India is recording more infections per day — as many as 350,000 — than any other country has since the pandemic began. What we had been fearing during last year’s first wave, and which never really materialized, is now happening in front of our eyes: a breakdown, a collapse, a realization that so many people will die. By Jeffrey Gettleman.

The roll out of Tonga’s COVID-19 vaccination program starts next week on Thursday April 15 in Tongatapu, with frontline workers the first to receive their shots at Falemasiva Hall, said the Minister of Health Hon Dr 'Amelia Tu'ipulotu today. The Ministry expects to vaccinate around 2,200 people from April 15-17

US$9 million was contributed by the Government of Japan to UNICEF to strengthen the vaccine cold chain and capacity to address the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic in 10 Pacific Islands, including Tonga.

New Zealand is providing support to Papua New Guinea following a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths, the New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced. A New Zealand Defence Force flight is scheduled to deliver PPE from Auckland to Port Moresby on Saturday. By today, 19 March, PNG has reported 2479 cases with 31 deaths.