Samoa's Central bank is tipping the country's economy to start to recover from the pandemic.
The bank said the economy, which has steadily declined over the past two years, is forecast to rise by 1.7 percent this current financial year up from minus 8.1 percent in 2020/21.
The Samoa Observer reports the forecasts are contained in the Central Bank of Samoa's Monetary Policy Statement for the financial year 2021/2022.
The statement said the expected rebound reflects the positive outlook for remittances, coupled with predicted pickup in domestic demand for goods and services as the domestic economy normalises without visitor arrivals.
It says sectors to get a boost include commerce, food and beverage and manufacturing.
In the Federated States of Micronesia, the island of Pohnpei is reporting a 20-fold increase in influenza-like illnesses.
A person being tested for Covid-19 is now being considered a false positive case and the government there is confident the island group remains Covid-free.
The Pohnpei State hospital and local clinics have 79 cases of an influenza-like illness and all have tested negative for Covid-19.
FSM President David Panuelo has called on Micronesians to treat the increase of the common cold as "a kind of fire drill for COVID-19" to practice hand washing, staying home if sick, and mask wearing.
Health officials are also advising sick people to avoid crowds, closed spaces, and unnecessary contact with anyone outside of their family.