PINA

Size isn't everything, but when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations, being small certainly helps. Niue, a Pacific Island nation with a population of 1,600, was recently celebrated for reaching "herd immunity" in its fight against COVID-19. It has fully vaccinated 97 percent of its eligible population with Pfizer doses donated by New Zealand. “Niue is one of the few countries in the...

The region's response to the COVID-19 pandemic dominated the Pacific Islands Forum's (PIF) Forum Foreign Affairs Ministers' forum held last week chaired by Tuvalu’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Simon Kofe. In a statement issued by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Marise Payne, emphasised their contribution to the Pacific in fighting...

The Solomon Islands Government has approved a mandatory vaccination to all Public servants, State-Owned Enterprises, and the Private employees undertaking frontline work. Cabinet approved the mandatory vaccination last Friday, 30 July 2021. The Minister of Health and Medical Service Dr Culwick Togamana made the announcement during his COVID-19 national address to the nation Monday. Minister Togamana said any employee under these three...

-Fiji has recorded1,100 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths Monday increasing the total number of cases to 31,443 cases since the outbreak that started in April. Health and Medical Services permanent secretary, Dr James Fong said 386 cases were from the Western division and 714 cases from the Central division in Vitilevu, Fiji's main island. Dr Fong said the 13...

Samoa's Minister of Health has assured the new Government’s priority is to fully vaccinate the country's eligible population, before plans are finalised to open a travel bubble with New Zealand. In response to questions from the Samoa Observer, Valasi Tafito Selesele said the latest amended state of emergency orders is only to start the conversation for long-term plans. “The only priority...

An additional 10 members of the third Australia and New Zealand Medical Assistance deployment – Charlie team arrived in Nadi today. ANZMAT Charlie will be deployed for three weeks at the request of the Fijian Government and on advice from ANZMAT Bravo medical experts already in Fiji. They will join forces with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to support...

Samoa Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa is urging all public servants not to let their support for a political party cloud their professional duties and obligations to their calling. “In any Government, the Cabinet is the decision maker and the public servants are the arms and legs of Government to implement those decisions,” she said. The Members of Parliament, according to...

Seasonal workers will be able to travel to New Zealand from Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu without undergoing a two-week stay in managed isolation, the Government has announced. The Government are keen to get this arrangement in place before September, but the decision has only been made in principle by Cabinet. The new travel corridor is aimed at helping industries that are...

Cases and deaths resulting from COVID-19 continue to climb worldwide, mostly fuelled by the highly transmissible Delta variant, which has spread to 132 countries, said the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO Almost 4 million cases worldwide were reported last week to WHO and the agency expects the total number of cases to pass 200 million, in the next...

Australia will provide a $68 million (US$49 million) loan to Fiji to upgrade its airports as part of a step-up in infrastructure lending across the Pacific to help the region recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and compete with China’s decade-long spending spree. In the first deal of its kind, the Australian government and the ANZ bank will use a $2...