Results for Health

Tonga is returning 10,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines to COVAX today so they can be given to Vietnam before the expiry date. The Ministry of Health is disappointed that unvaccinated people have been slow to take up these doses. So far less than 30% of the total population has been vaccinated. The ministry said it is not easy to get the vaccines and now they are trying to get more. Around 31,600 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will arrive in Tonga next week but these are for 12 to 17-year-olds and pregnant women.

Around $20,000 pa’anga will be offered in cash and prizes from Digicel Tonga to help raise awareness of women and men’s health in Tonga during October and November.

The COVID-19 vaccine program will start rolling out in the Niuas on 28 September, the Ministry of Health confirmed yesterday. Meanwhile, the Health CEO Dr Siale ‘Akau'ola urged young people (18-29 years) throughout Tonga to hurry up and get their vaccinations because COVID-19 can reach Tonga. “If you get the vaccine while there is a COVID outbreak, it’s too late. There will be hundreds of lives lost,” he warned.

A repatriation flight from Pago Pago, American Samoa, and Apia, Western Samoa, is now scheduled to arrive in Tonga with nine passengers on 22 September, said MEIDECC CEO Paula Ma’u today.

Over 27,458 people over the age of 18 years in Tonga, have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, since the second dose roll out program started on June 24 in Nuku'alofa, the Ministry of Health confirmed today, 10 September. This represents 43% of the targeted population of 63,128 aged over 18.

Fiji has recorded 128 new cases of COVID-19 over a 24-hour period ending at 8:00am on September 6. There have also been 12 new deaths, in the period from July 27 to September 5, from the virus, which has now claimed 520 lives there.

The COVID-19 vaccination will not turn people into zombies, change their DNA or put magnets into their arms. “I hope people will take note that some information circulating is just ridiculous,” said Tonga's Ministry of Health CEO, Dr Siale ‘Akau‘ola yesterday. “The problem is lots of misinformation on social media causes people to be confused,” he said.

A container of 200,000 N95 masks donated from Australia has been welcomed by the Ministry of Health today, 31 August 2021.

The Tonga Government had no involvement whatsoever on why there was no Tongans on a flight from Vanuatu to Tonga on 26 August with only 14 Chinese.