PINA

Fiji has recorded 653 new cases of COVID-19 and eight new deaths Wednesday, increasing the total number of cases to 41,760 and 411 deaths since the outbreak in April. Permanent secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said 462 cases are from the Western division and 191 cases are from the Central division in Vitilevu, Fiji's main island. “There have been 1,088...

One of Papua New Guinea’s chief health officers have warned the country’s low testing rates, high percentage of positive tests and low vaccination rates provide a “recipe for major spread of the Delta variant” after the country recorded its 12th case of the deadly strain. Dr Daoni Esorom, the deputy controller of PNG’s national pandemic response, said officials were so...

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has condemned the rush by wealthy countries to provide Covid-19 vaccine booster shots while millions of people around the world have yet to receive a single dose. Speaking before U.S authorities announced all vaccinated Americans would soon be eligible to receive booster doses, WHO experts insisted there was not enough scientific evidence to support the...

Hundreds of Kiribati seafarers stranded overseas are pleading with their government to allow them to return home as the country continues to shut its border to international flights. Captain Tekemaua Kiraua is among 165 seafarers who've been in Fiji since March, he says the long wait is affecting their mental health. “It’s frustrating our crew are not good. There's a lot...

Three Covid-19 Delta cases have been reported in Western Province and Papua New Guinea Health Minister Jelta Wong says the priority now is to ensure provinces are prepared to manage the highly infectious disease. The Delta variant infections were confirmed by the National Control Centre (NCC) in a media conference Tuesday. Presenting the Papua New Guinea health sector report in Parliament,...

A Pacific health expert is advising the Pasifika and Maori community to heed lockdown advice and stay home after more cases of the Delta variant were confirmed on Wednesday in Auckland. Dr Colin Tukuitonga, associate professor of public health at the University of Auckland, said Pasifika and Māori were the most vulnerable to Covid-19 and the Delta variant was “no...

As a match official, Kuini Vuli has appeared in some of the game’s most prestigious tournaments around the world. But, in time, she is hopeful that more Fijian women will follow in her footsteps and go on to scale even greater heights. Vuli was the second Fijian woman behind Elenoa Kunatuba to officiate in top-class matches when, in 2009, she...

Australia’s purchase of 500,000 Pfizer doses from the global vaccine-sharing Covax initiative has renewed debate about whether more Covid-19 vaccines should be reserved for developing countries. On Tuesday Labor and the Australian Council for International Development questioned Australia’s purchase of 500,000 doses from the World Health Organisation-run scheme, which was first announced by the health minister, Greg Hunt, on 06...

The Fijian government is hoping a study into the potential for industrial hemp will provide an alternative for the illegal marijuana trade in Fiji. Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has told parliament that they are not interested in hemp with a high level of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC which makes people high. “We want it to replace the illicit agriculture sector, but...

By Kishti Sen & Tom Kenny It’s been a tough time for Pacific island economies. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated global supply chain disruptions along, with mobility restrictions, impacted commodity exporting countries while closed borders meant the tourism dependent economies were decimated in 2020. With international borders remaining closed and many local restrictions still in place, economic conditions will be...