With a little help from the Tongan tug boat, the Australian Defence Force staff docked the HMAS Adelaide themselves, at Vuna Wharf in Tonga yesterday evening, after fears over COVID-19 transmission. There are 29 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 on board the ship that berthed at 6:39 pm.
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Results for Health
Thursday 27 January 2022
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga

Friday 14 January 2022
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga is lifting a restriction in order to allow repatriation of over 300 passengers from New Zealand and Vanuatu next week. Changes to repatriation protocols were outlined by the new Minister for Health, Hon Dr Saia Piukala this morning, 14 January, and include repatriating from countries with COVID-19 in the community.

Thursday 13 January 2022
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Two repatriation flights to Tonga from Vanuatu and Auckland, New Zealand, are scheduled to arrive at Fua'amotu Int'l Airport next week on January 18 and 20 respectively, the Ministry of Health CEO, Dr Siale 'Akau'ola confirmed this afternoon.

Thursday 6 January 2022
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Around 83% of eligible population in Tonga have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 up to January 6, the Ministry of Health confirmed today. (This represents about 60% of the total population.)

Wednesday 5 January 2022
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Changes to requirements for incoming passengers to Tonga will be considered on Friday, ahead of the next repatriation flights to Tonga that were scheduled for January 18 and 20. MEIDECC CEO Paula Ma’u told Matangi Tonga today that recommendations are being prepared for the new Cabinet, including changes to the protocols for repatriations.

Friday 24 December 2021
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Youth aged 12-17 years who have not yet received their second doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are urged to get their second dose before the vaccines expire in the New Year. “There is no plan to get more Pfizer for them after 2 January,” said the Health CEO.
Monday 20 December 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga's 21-month long night time curfew will be eased slightly for New Year's Eve, 31 December, when the curfew will commence from 2:00am to 5:00am instead of starting at midnight. During the National Prayer Week 2022 it will commence from midnight to 3:00am, under Tonga’s Health State of Emergency that has been renewed for another month from today to 17 January 2022.

Friday 17 December 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga will receive more Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines from Australia in the New Year for booster shots, the Minister for Health, Hon Dr ‘Amelia Tu’ipulotu said today. “We need to speed up the third dose to protect our country from the new Omicron variant,” she said.

Tuesday 14 December 2021
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Around 7,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, donated by the Japanese Government via COVAX, arrived in Tonga this afternoon, Tuesday. “I hope today’s vaccines could help accelerate the on-going inoculation and that we could make the Kingdom well prepared before it comes,” said HE Mr Kensaku Munenaga. However, we cannot, we should not keep closing our border forever, he said. “Only with a change of the policy, Tongans who have been stuck outside of the Kingdom can meet their families here in Tonga.”
Friday 10 December 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Those in Tonga aged 18 and above are urged to get inoculated before the current stock of AstraZeneca vaccines expire on 13 December. Pfizer vaccines for 12-17 year olds currently in the country will expire on December 20.

Friday 10 December 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
COVID-19 is the worst crisis for children worldwide that UNICEF has seen in its 75-year history, according to the agency’s report released on December 9.

Friday 3 December 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Five vehicles were donated to the Ministry of Health today by Japan, to help accelerate the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Tonga. Japanese Ambassador HE Kensaku Munenaga said the project is to support the important cold chain supply system.

Thursday 2 December 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Essential COVID-19 supplies and oxygen equipment was donated to the Ministry of Health from the Government of Australia, after the cargo arrived on November 30 at Fua'amotu International Airport.

Tuesday 30 November 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga’s health records will move from paper-based to a digital patient management system starting tomorrow, December 1, after the Prime Minister Hon. Rev. Dr Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa launched the Kingdom’s first National Health Information System (NHIS) this morning at Davina House in Nuku'alofa. By Eleanor Gee.

Monday 29 November 2021
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Around 46,239 people (60%) of Tonga’s eligible population of 76,911 are now fully inoculated for COVID-19. while 73,295 (95%) have received their first doses of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine by November 29, the Ministry of Health confirmed today.
Wednesday 24 November 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
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.

Tuesday 23 November 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga’s Health State of Emergency has been renewed for another month to prevent the spread of COVID-19, starting from 8:00pm on 22 November until 8:00pm 20 December.

Wednesday 17 November 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
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.

Monday 15 November 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Around 57% of Tonga’s eligible population is now fully vaccinated for COVID-19, while nearly 94% of those eligible have received their first dose, the Ministry of Health reported today. Among the 12-17 years age group there has been a high uptake of vaccinations, with 92 percent receiving their first dose.

Thursday 11 November 2021
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga's King Tupou VI assented the Vaccination (Amendment) Act 2021 and the Public Health (Amendment) Act 2021, giving government the power to declare that vaccination is compulsory. The Acts (16 & 17 0f 2021) were among 13 pieces of legislation Gazetted by the Tonga Government on 5 November. However, Health officials have said that vaccination will not be forced, while the focus now is for Tonga to attain a voluntary 70% vaccination of its 103,000 population by the end of 2021.
