Covid-19 vaccines

Oceania Olympians leading the vaccination charge towards Tokyo

 

The Summer Games are scheduled to begin on 23 July, after being delayed by 12 months because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The International Olympic Committee said vaccination was "encouraged" but not compulsory for athletes.

Leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in February agreed to give consideration to Olympic athletes where possible after the primary targets in each country had been vaccinated.

Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) President, Dr Robin Mitchell, said the local response has been very good.

Vanuatu prepares for Covid-19 vaccination rollout

Last week 24,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Vanuatu, sent from Italy through the COVAX facility.

The manager of the country's Expanded Program of Immunisation, Simon Samson, said the majority of these people were front line workers in sectors such as immigration, customs and health.

Samson said it wasn't only ni-Vanuatu who responded to registration, but also foreign nationals who reside in Port Vila.

He said training has been conducted for nurses of Vila Central Hospital and health staffs for Efate and offshore islands to administer the vaccines.

Kiribati to start Covid-19 vaccination rollout

Upon receiving the vaccines on Tuesday the Kiribati health minister Tinte Itinteang said vaccinations would begin this week.

The rollout is to start in the densely populated South Tarawa districts of Betio and the Teinainano Urban Council which stretches from Bairiki to Tanaea.

Dr Itinteang said 12,000 more doses of the vaccine were expected in a month's time.

The country has no community cases of Covid-19 but last week two cases of Covid-19 were identified aboard a Taiwanese fishing carrier anchored in the Tarawa lagoon.

Vanuatu beach volleyball stars register for Covid-19 vaccine

Vanuatu will compete in the Asian Continental Cup final in Thailand next month, with the winner to qualify for the women's main draw in Japan.

Vanuatu Beach Volleyball President Debbie Masauvakalo said the women have to be vaccinated if they want to take part in the Olympics.

"Because we are preparing to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games and we have to travel out early next month to Bangkok, so it's very important that we come here today and we register and that we get the Covid vaccine so that we can remain safe."

Thousands of ni-Vanuatu register for vaccine

The 24,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were sent from Italy through the COVAX facility.

Registration got underway at Vanuatu's National Convention Centre in Port Vila yesterday.

At the same time, at the National Constitution Centre, the department of health was conducting an awareness session on what is AstraZeneca, why Vanuatu needs it and the government's vaccination plan.

According to the governbment, vaccination rollout will start at the beginning of June on the country's main island of Efate.

     

Vanuatu covid rollout set for early June

The country last night received a shipment of 24,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX facility.

Vanuatu's Ministry of Health says the doses were sent from Italy and came via Brisbane.

The arrival in Port Vila on Wednesday of 24,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine marks the seventh country for vaccines to arrive in the Pacific region through the COVAX Facility in the global partnership's effort to deliver at least two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021.

First COVID-19 vaccines batch to bolster Vanuatu’s efforts to protect people

The first batch of vaccines will only “bolster our capabilities to enhance our efforts to protect our people,” Loughman said.

He made the comments as 24,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines arrived in the country last night.

According to Loughman, Vanuatu has successfully maintained months of COVID-19 free status and consistent infection, prevention and control standards.

“Vanuatu has done a lot to prevent any COVID-19 community transmission.”

The vaccines were made available through the global COVAX facility.

Cooks MPs to get vaccination first as rollout set to begin

Mr Brown says with the support from New Zealand, they've managed to receive sufficient Pfizer vaccine to provide full coverage for the population.

All residents in the Cook Islands over the age of 16 years are eligible for vaccination.

New Zealand support includes technical advice, vaccine logistics planning and support and vaccinator workforce training. It also includes the supply of consumables such as syringes and the transportation of the vaccine.

NZ rolls out more Covid-19 support for the Pacific

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said the rollout in the Cook Islands would begin on 19 May. It was expected to take six to eight weeks, and would then be followed by programmes in Niue and Tokelau - both are also part of the realm of New Zealand.

The government today pledged to provide additional Covid-19 vaccines to Pacific Island nations, so their total delivery would reach at least 1.2 million people in the region in the coming year.

Vaccines in Fiji

More than 20,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in the country last week and will be administered to high-risk groups.

The rollout, which got underway in Lautoka on Monday, is targeting people with disabilities and co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, heart conditions, asthma, HIV, cancer, and those on dialysis.

Essential workers are also expected to get their first jab.

But the ministry said the programme's continuation would depend on the availability of the vaccine doses.