Community transmission

Community transmission was first announced in November last year.

RNZ Pacific reports there was a peak in December with the number of positive cases reaching 390 out of a population of about 1400.

Since then, January saw 210 positive cases, which gradually decreased as people recovered and very few new cases were detected or reported to the Health Department.

Minister for Health Sauni Tongatule said he was very pleased that there are now no active cases.

This brings the total number of community cases to 2,722 with 1,502 active cases.

There are 17 cases currently in managed isolation at the Moto’otua National Hospital.

To date, 24,241 RATs have been administered by the Ministry of Health. The total number of Covid-19 deaths still remain at two.

According to the Ministry, the overall attack rate for Samoa is 10.7.

The areas with the highest attack rates have been identified as Faleata 4 and Vaimauga 4, reporting the highest number of cases per 1,000 population.

The latest report released Tuesday by the Government said data shows that the prevalence of Covid-19 infection is significantly higher among those aged from 15 to 35

There were 129 new confirmed community cases recorded as at 2pm Tuesday, 29 March 2022.

The number of community cases recorded since 17 March 2022 currently stands at 1,493 of which 1,330 are active community cases.

Upolu accounts for 97 percent of total confirmed community cases with the remaining three percent in Savaii.

The Ministry also confirmed 155 new community cases recorded in 24-hours as of Wednesday, 23 March.

This brings the total number of community cases detected since 17 March 2022 to 622.

Of this total, 606 cases are confirmed in Upolu and 16 active cases in Savaii.

A total of 940 Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) have been carried out to date since Tuesday, 22 March 2022, in 17 designated Covid-19 screening sites, in addition to tests conducted in health facilities.

Of this total, 827 were administered in Upolu and 113 in Savaii.

At a press conference last night, Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa said the ministry will provide all necessary health measures to contain a potential rapid community transmission.

“Cabinet will assess the situation before the end of the nationwide lockdown and will advise the country accordingly,” she said while announcing the country’s first community transmission.

The case is a young woman who went for a routine test on Thursday as she had intended to travel overseas at the weekend.

Because of Omicron the Polyfest will be a shadow of its former self. The number of groups has dropped from around 200 pre-covid to just 68.

Sonny Haiosi has been attending for 18 years, watching his four daughters take the stage.

"It wouldn't be the same if you go there and there is not 100-thousand people there, I know that much. When you go to polyfest and you can't move around and that's from the time when you get to the gate which is pretty much feeding into Polyfest, that is Polyfest," Sonny Haiosi said.

Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa made the announcement after a 29 year old woman tested positive for Covid-19 during routine testing before a flight to Fiji.

Samoa is under alert level 2 restrictions until midnight Saturday requiring people to show vaccination cards and wear masks.

All schools are closed as are bars, nightclubs and fitness centres. Sports games are cancelled but other services remain open.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said there are also 344 cases in hospital and five in ICU.

The cases in hospital are in Northland (5), North Shore (53), Middlemore (128), Auckland (100), Tauranga (11), Taranaki (1), Waikato (28), Canterbury (4) Southern (4), Hutt Valley (6)Capital and Coast (3) and Tairawhiti (1).

Solomon Business Magazine reports Health Minister Culwick Togamana announced the deaths this afternoon along with the latest figures showing 650 cases of Covid-19 as of midday Tuesday.

The two victims were a 51-year-old female and a 59-year-old male who had pre-existing conditions, including diabetes and high-blood pressure before contracting the virus.

They passed away on Monday night at the National Referral Hospital.

It takes to 81 the number of cases in the country, which until this week had had just a handful of people with the virus.

The cases are spread throughout the country with Ontong Java and parts of Guadalcanal in lockdown.

The outbreak began with the illegal entry of a vessel from Papua New Guinea to Ontong Java last week.

That vessel delivered at least 23 cases of Covid-19.

The virus has since spread to Guadalcanal, prompting a lockdown in Honiara that is due to finish tomorrow morning.