Samoa receives more COVID-19 vaccine from Australia

Australia has delivered 10,000 Australian-manufactured COVID-19 vaccine doses to Samoa.

The consignment arrived yesterday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said, “This allocation is part of the Morrison Government’s commitment to share up to 15 million doses with the Pacific and Timor-Leste by mid-2022 to support health and economic recovery.”

“Australia’s support of Samoa’s COVID-19 vaccination roll-out extends beyond the provision of vaccines, including funding for ‘Tamanu’, an Australian-developed electronic patient record system that will account for vaccines administered, as well as access to Australian technical advice on vaccine safety and research.”

The delivery is in addition to Australia’s commitment of $130 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), which has delivered 52,800 vaccines to Samoa so far.

Health authorities in Samoa temporarily suspended the COVID-19 vaccination programme earlier in the week as the vaccines had run out.

The ministry is expected to announce the resumption of the roll out of the vaccination.

As at 4 July, 52, 907 or 43.4% of the eligible population has received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

9,254 individuals or 7.6% of the eligible population had received both doses.

The ministry said it hopes people who have not been vaccinated before will continue to be vaccinated, as it will continue to include all those who are eligible.  

 

Photo source Senator Marise Payne/Facebook   Caption: 10.000 doses of Australian manufacturered COVID-19 vaccine arrive in Samoa