Tonga reports first case of Covid-19 and prepares for lockdown

Island Tonga, in the South Pacific, reported the first case COVID-19 On Friday (29) thousands of citizens were encouraged to vaccinate, amid warnings of the possibility of this happening Close National.

Tonga was one of the few countries that did not report a single case Corona Virus since the beginning of the epidemic. However, the Prime Minister of Tonga, Bohiva Tuunitwa, confirmed on Friday the first infection with the disease, which was detected in a person who had traveled from New Zealand.

The infected traveler arrived in Tonga on Wednesday (27) after flying from Christchurch, according to the New Zealand Ministry of Health.

The passenger completed the vaccination schedule and tested negative at New Zealandbefore leaving the flight. The new test, positive, came after he was tested with other travelers staying in a hotel used to isolate and quarantine new arrivals into the country.

Tu’i’onetoa said all airport officials who had contact with any of the passengers on the flight were quarantined and warned Tongan residents to prepare for a possible national lockdown following the case, According to the news site Matangi Tonga.

“We must use this time to prepare if more people are confirmed to be infected with the virus,” he said.

After news of the positive case, thousands of people turned to vaccination centers to get their Covid-19 vaccines, I mentioned the Matangi Tonga.

Tonga’s Minister of Health, Amelia Tuipuluto, said the high demand in recent days will increase vaccination coverage in the country.

“More people are coming. [se vacinar] And now we have coverage for the first dose of about 86% of the population and coverage for the second dose of about 62%,” says Tu Ipulotto, according to Matangi Tonga.

Tonga is a Polynesian country among more than 170 islands in the South Pacific and has a population of about 100,000. The archipelago is located 800 kilometers east of Fiji and 2,380 kilometers from New Zealand.

While it has not reported cases of Covid-19 yet, the island nation declared a state of emergency in March 2020 and closed its borders to foreigners.

Like other Pacific island nations, Tonga’s initial action shielded it from a potentially devastating Covid-19 outbreak, with 22.1% of the population living below the poverty line and limited medical facilities and equipment.

But the strict travel arrangements have severely affected the economies of the Pacific island nations, especially those that depend on tourism.

The Pacific nations of Tuvalu and Naura are among the only countries in the world that have not reported an infection with the Covid-19 virus.

NS Turkmenistan and North Korea have also not officially reported any cases, although experts say these claims may not be true.

(translated text; Read the original text In English)