Results for Health

Quarantine costs for Tongan repatriates will continue to be paid by the Tongan Government confirmed MEIDECC CEO Paula Ma’u. Plans for repatriated passengers to start paying for their quarantine from July have been sidelined for the time being.

The roll out of second doses of COVID-19 vaccine begins tomorrow, 24 June, at the Basilica Church in Nuku’alofa and Vaiola Hospital, in Tongatapu, health officials said today. After receiving the second dose, it takes two to three weeks for the body to react to the vaccine to reach its highest protection level. “Looking at the COVID-19 situation in Fiji, it is a wakeup call for Pacific countries,” said CEO Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola. By Eleanor Gee

Three repatriation flights are on schedule to arrive in Tonga this month, including a chartered flight from Vanuatu on June 22 to take seasonal workers to Australia.

The 248 passengers repatriated from New Zealand and Australia on 2 and 3 June respectively, tested negative for COVID-19, confirmed Ministry of Health CEO, Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola.

A repatriation flight with around 141 passengers arrived in Tonga today from Brisbane, Australia.

Smoking causes 8 million deaths a year, and now smokers have a greater risk of developing a severe case and dying from COVID-19, says the World Health Organization (WHO) today on World No Tobacco Day, drawing attention to the dangers of using tobacco, and the preventable death and disease it causes.

With 28,150 people vaccinated to date, only 40 vials (less than 480 doses) of the COVID-19 vaccine remain to be administered before the batch expires on 31 May, the Ministry of Health said today.

Tonga has received a grant of NZ$1.6M from New Zealand on 25 May, for construction of a new central pharmacy warehouse to assist Tonga's COVID-19 preparedness and response activities.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide Tonga with a $5.5 million grant to support the rollout of safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19.