PINA

A new term has come into play in Papua New Guinea, not vaccine hesitancy, but vaccine apathy, coined by the man leading the country’s COVID-19 vaccination taskforce.

Api Kassman said the problem his team are wrestling with is that many people don’t want be vaccinated, not because they are reluctant or afraid, but because they don’t believe it’s even necessary.

PNG has the lowest vaccination rates in the world right now, and there is acknowledgement that the country is at risk of global isolation.

The vaccination picture is so dire, that one forecast predicts that at current rates by 2026 only 20 percent of the population will be immunised against the coronavirus.

And just to emphasis the point on low take up, Kassman said they have just handed over 30 thousand doses of Astra Zeneca to Vietnam, rather than let them go to waste.

“Those vaccines were expiring on the 30th of September. Yes, it does display a certain strain of hesitancy, but we also believe that it’s vaccine apathy that’s our problem,” Kassman told Pacific Beat.

“There is a real sentiment amongst people that COVID is not real. And if it does come, it goes without really being life threatening. So that’s not hesitance, they don’t believe that COVID can affect them.”

It’s a view supported by the Catholic Bishop of Mendi, Donald Lippert, who said Highlands people are just not convinced by the COVID threat.

“The people have felt that it really isn’t here. On the other hand, there isn’t any massive testing program, and so whether it’s here or not, who would know? But it seems like it is not causing vast illnesses or people getting sick or people dying or hospitals being overrun in some of the provinces here in PNG.”

The vaccination taskforce has linked up with the mainline churches in an effort to counter the wave of misinformation and false beliefs being spread on social media, and by religious fringe groups.

“A lot of people out in the country areas are saying, I’m protected by the blood of Jesus, but the churches are saying to receive the vaccine is a blessing, and to understand that it’s people who have been blessed with knowledge that have developed this vaccine, and that we should use it widely,” Kassman said.

Kingtau Mambon who teaches economics at the University of Papua New Guinea is the co-author of a recent blog on vaccination rates in PNG prior to the pandemic, and the evidence suggests that even after the polio scare of 2019, the picture was not good, and the government’s own spending cuts didn’t help.

“The real collapse in vaccination rates was between 2013 and 2017. And it was during this period when the government revenue falls and health spending was cut by nine percent….health services were no longer the priority,” he said.

“It really affected the people at the forefront of our health operations generally….and we really were hamstrung from the start because when clinics are shutting, when people don’t have job security, it just makes the job so much harder,” Kassman told Pacific Beat.

And there is a stark warning that if vaccination rates don’t rise quickly and significantly, then PNG risks becoming a pariah state when international borders open up again.

“If PNG continues to self punish with these low vaccination rates, in the long run it will isolate itself from its neighbours,” Kingtau Mambon said.

“We need to achieve a certain level of vaccination for our country to be deemed safe to do business in, and obviously that’s the priority. We are concerned about being isolated, but at some point, we really have to try and shift the mindset of our people,” said Kassman.

“We’ve got to be more aggressive in our approach to get people on board with vaccination,” he said.

SOURCE: ABC/PACNEWS

Fiji has recorded 131 new cases of COVID-19 and one new death reported Tuesday, increasing the total number of cases to 49,174 and 537 deaths in the island nation since the outbreak that started in April.

Permanent secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said 63 cases are from the Western division, 66 cases are from the Central division in Vitilevu, Fiji’s main island and two cases are from the Eastern division.

“There have been 104 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 12,951 active cases. 1,480 active cases are in the Central division, 11,164 active cases in the Western division, two active cases in the Northern division (Macuata) and 305 active cases in the Eastern division (all in Kadavu).

“There have been 49,174 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 49,244 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 35,388 recoveries.,” Dr Fong said

He said there is one new COVID-19 death reported was for the Central division.

“There have now been 539 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 537 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. As of 09 September the national seven day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is two. The seven day rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central division is one and in the Western Division is one.

We also have recorded 366 COVID-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted COVID-19; these are not classified as COVID-19 deaths,” Dr Fong explained

He said there are currently 110 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital.

“35 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital, five patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 70 admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi.

“Eight patients are considered to be in severe condition, and three are in critical condition,” Dr Fong said.

A total of 349,731 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 392,592 tested since testing began in March 2020.

The national seven-day average daily test positivity is 16 percent, which is on a downward trend but still indicating a high level of community transmission, he said.

As of 13 September, 573,247 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 350,007 have received their second doses.

“This means that 97.3 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 59.6 percent are now fully vaccinated nationwide,” said Dr Fong.

SOURCE: PACNEWS

All future tourists to the Cook Islands aged 12 years and older need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, says Cook Islands government.

The only exemption will be for people with a medical certificate, said a government statement.

The statement said the Cook Islands would not open its borders to New Zealand for quarantine-free travel until it was fully confident there was no community transmission.

The government said this would likely mean New Zealand would need to be in Covid-19 Alert Level 1.

The Cook Islands is also to remain at Alert Level 2 until New Zealand has had 14 days without community transmission.

Prime Minister Mark Brown said: “As one of the few countries in the world that has managed to keep Covid-19 out, we do not want to do anything to jeopardise the safety of our people.”

“While we acknowledge that at some point in the future all countries will need to learn to live with Covid-19, that time has not yet come. We do not want an outbreak here. The impact on our health resources as well as our economy would be devastating.”

Meanwhile, the Cook Islands Cabinet have approved the managed returns plan for the return of Cook Islands residents otherwise stranded in New Zealand following the current ‘Delta outbreak’ in Auckland and resultant suspension on inwards international arrivals to the Cook Islands since 16 August.

To date, the Cook Islands Government, through the Cook Islands High Commission in Wellington, has been engaged with some 350 Cook Islands residents currently sheltering in New Zealand who have registered for managed return to the Cook Islands, with 125 of these being in regions outside of Auckland.

“The return of our Cook Islands residents who have been stranded in New Zealand since the first detection of Case A and the resultant suspension of inwards international arrivals from New Zealand has been a priority of our Cabinet and therefore the Border Easement Taskforce (BET) including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration (MFAI) since the 16 August,” said MFAI Secretary and BET Chair Tepaeru Herrmann.

“The Plan approved by Cabinet will focus on a first cohort comprising those currently sheltering in place outside the Auckland region on a flight from Wellington or Christchurch”.

While no date has been set for the first repatriation flight, with Cabinet approval of the managed returns plan, MFAI is working closely with Te Marae Ora – Ministry of Health (TMO), Air New Zealand and New Zealand agencies for the early and safe return of the 125 sheltering in regions outside Auckland.

Based on pre-registration information, Cook Islands residents sheltering in regions outside Auckland will be contacted directly to formally apply for managed return via completion of the ‘Cook Islands Managed Return application Form’. A negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours prior to departure as well as mandatory completion of the ‘Online Contact Information Form’ will be required. A period of at least seven-days in MIQ on arrival into Rarotonga will also be required.

As confirmed by Prime Minister Brown in his announcement, Cook Islands residents sheltering in Auckland must wait for the alert level to drop to Level 2 or below before repatriation can commence from Auckland.

“I want to thank our people who have pre-registered for return home with our High Commission for their continued patience as we work to ensure their safe return whilst preventing COVID-19 and specifically the delta variant from reaching the Cook Islands,” said Secretary Herrmann.

“We extend our appreciation also to our partners in New Zealand, various New Zealand entities and our Cook Islands communities who have since the onset of COVID, bolstered our capacity to deliver some assistance to our people awaiting return. Should additional assistance be required by those stranded, we urge continued engagement with our High Commission in the first instance (at dhc@cookhicom.org.nz) and further information will be forthcoming in the coming days around enhanced support to those awaiting repatriation,” she said.

SOURCE: COOK ISLANDS NEWS/COOK ISLANDS GOVT/PACNEWS