The Ministry of Health is urging people to get their COVID-19 AstraZeneca innoculations, while vaccination teams are out in communities in their final week up to May 8. To date, 10,903 people have been vaccinated in Tonga.
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Monday 3 May 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Monday 3 May 2021
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Cleveland, United States
Four college football players of Tongan heritage were included in the 259 players selected in the 2021 NFL draft from 29 April – 1 May to join the NFL’s 32 franchises.
Monday 3 May 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Kapuana ‘Unga was sentenced to three-years imprisonment for causing serious bodily harm to a victim using a machete, at Ha’alaufuli, Vava’u in 2020. The judge said, “What you and the people who were with you were doing was most irresponsible and reckless that you did not stop to think of the consequences."
Monday 3 May 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The murder of a respected Tonga Red Cross communications officer Polikalepo Kefu (41) on Saturday morning has shocked his colleagues and friends who paid tribute to him today as a “shining star” and selfless, tireless, humanitarian and human rights advocate. A 27-year-old man has been charged with his murder.
Monday 3 May 2021
Cambridge-MA, USA
The world’s current vaccination plan is very much “broke,” and nobody seems to be fixing it, despite the disastrous consequences for lives, livelihoods, and the global economy. This was supposed to be the year of recovery. But, from an epidemiological standpoint, it is shaping up to be worse than 2020, and current dynamics suggest that 2022 will be no better. It does not have to be this way. But getting onto a better path will require strong global leadership. The world has multiple effective vaccines available. But it is not moving nearly fast enough to administer them. - By Ricardo Hausmann.
Friday 30 April 2021
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Manila, Philippines
The economies of the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, and Tonga will continue to decline in 2021. “The COVID-19 pandemic is the worst economic crisis in the history of these countries,” said economist James Webb. “While lives have been saved, livelihoods have been lost.” Economic recovery in tourism-dependent Polynesian countries will be slow, says a new ADB report.
Friday 30 April 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Humpback Whales filmed in Vava’u in 2018 feature in a new TV Series ‘Secrets of the Whales’ currently airing on Disney+. Alistair Coldrick and world class Tongan skipper, Ali Takau from Dolphin Pacific Diving in Vava'u were involved in the project.
Friday 30 April 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Cannabis was seized from a 40-year-old man, who had returned from 'Eua, at Faua Wharf today. Between April 19-30 seven people have been arrested and charged, after Tonga Police seized methamphetamine and cannabis at six different locations in Tongatapu.
Friday 30 April 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tupou College won the inter-collegiate sports competition held over four days last week, raking in 35 gold, 27 silver, and 13 bronze medals, confirmed the sports committee this week.
Friday 30 April 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Toutai Mafile’o was sentenced to two-years imprisonment, which was fully suspended for dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm to his passenger in 2020 at Mu'a. He was intoxicated.
Friday 30 April 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Salesi Fa’aoa (a.k.a. Mahelofa Tuputau) was sentenced to nine-months imprisonment for possession of 0.3 grams of methamphetamine and 22 rounds of .22 calibre ammunition, seized by Tonga Police after receiving information that he was selling illicit drugs from his car.
Thursday 29 April 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga’s precious supply of covid vaccine can now be extended to thousands more people thanks to the skills of the Tongan nurses, who have not wasted a drop of the first batch received this month. People aged 35 years and over can now be vaccinated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. By Eleanor Gee
Thursday 29 April 2021
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Geneva, Switzerland
Globally, new COVID-19 cases increased again with nearly 5.7 million new cases reported last week, surpassing previous peaks, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) weekly COVID-19 update on April 25. For the third consecutive week, the South-East Asia region reported the highest relative increases in both case and death incidences.
Thursday 29 April 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A 46-year-old man was found guilty at the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court on two counts of serious indecent assaulting a teenager in 2020.
Thursday 29 April 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The new British High Commissioner Designate to Tonga, HE Lucy Joyce, congratulated Tonga on its covid-free status this week. The vaccine had arrived before the virus and “not many countries are in such a privileged position,” she said on Tuesday. The High Commission is officially reopening in May after closing for 15 years.
Thursday 29 April 2021
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Sydney, Australia
The funeral of the late Peter Warner in Ballina, NSW, Australia, yesterday had a special Tongan presence, including two of the original ‘Ata boys – Mano Totau and Tevita Siolala, reports Tonga's Honorary Consul General.
Thursday 29 April 2021
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London, United Kingdom
People who have been vaccinated with a single dose of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines were 65% less likely to get a new Covid infection, a UK study has found. The chances of becoming infected by COVID (SARS-CoV-2) fell sharply after a first dose. However, some people can still get Covid after being vaccinated but the ongoing transmission is reduced.
Wednesday 28 April 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga has postponed the repatriation flight from Fiji, which was due to arrive in Tonga next week, confirmed MEIDECC CEO Paula Ma'u today, as Fiji has closed its major towns, due to the local transmission in Fiji of the COVID-19 Indian variant.
Wednesday 28 April 2021
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Suva, Fiji
COVID-19 cases in Fiji continue to increase with six new cases confirmed yesterday, 27 April, bringing the total to 42 active cases, according to health officials. Recent cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed to be the B1617 variant that was first detected in India. Dr James Fong has warned Fijians to stay at home because “any person-to-person contact outside your home could get you infected.”
Wednesday 28 April 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A 62-year-old repeat sexual offender was sentenced to eight-years and nine-months imprisonment for rape and other counts of carnal knowledge of a young person. He is a dangerous offender, revealed a pre-sentence sentence at the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court.


