28 January 2022 Apia Samoa. The Ministry of Health has confirmed a total of 301 people are being monitored in managed isolation.The number includes 27 Covid-19 positive cases.
Contrary to previous reports that there were close to 260 frontliners taken into quarantine, the Ministry has now confirmed that number to be 228. All are frontline public servants who worked the flight from Australia that brought 73 passengers into Samoa last Wednesday.
Samoa’s Director General of Health Leausa Dr Take Naseri told the media last Saturday that the released of our frontliners in quarantine would be considered, if they continue to return negative tests over two weeks.
Those infected would also be released after three weeks, if they return three consecutive negative tests.
Since the arrival of the Brisbane flight, 22 passengers have tested positive for Covid-19 as well as 5 registered nurses who provided health care services for the initial group of passengers tested positive. It has been repeatedly confirmed that all five nurses were admitted to the Isolation Wing at the National Hospital to care for the positive cases, and have remained in isolation. As per protocol, all medical staff attending to Covid-19 positive cases do not go home until the patients are released from isolation.
“All of Samoa’s 301 isolated persons remain asymptomatic as of Thursday night”, reads the statement.
Samples sent to New Zealand for specimen testing have confirmed 6 people are infected with the Omicron Variant and 1 with the Delta Variant.
“The results for the rest of the specimen tests are forthcoming”.
“A fourth round of SWAP tests for the entire group commenced yesterday (Thursday) with the results soon to be made available by the Ministry of Health”.
VACCINATION ROLL OUT
A total of 1,082 vaccinations were administered on Thursday 27 January 2022:
ASTRA ZENECA
• First dose: 204
• Second dose: 596 PFIZER
• First Dose: 149
• Second Dose: 133
As of 27 January 2022
• 106,339 have been fully vaccinated for the Astra Zeneca vaccine.
• 9,645 (12 – 17 years) have been fully vaccinated for the Pfizer vaccine.
