COVID-19

Pasifika Festival cancelled

The event was due to be held from 18-20 March at Western Springs Park and marked the 30th anniversary of Pasifika.

The festival can only be delivered at the orange or green Covid-19 Protection Framework settings.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said the cancellation is disappointing but the right call given the risks posed with Omicron spreading rapidly in the community.

 

Photo PMN News  Caption: Pasifika Festival

     

Over 100 Covid-19 cases for Tonga

Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni announced 44 new infections yesterday.

He said the new cases were identified in the villages of Veitongo, Utulau, Houma and in the Nuku'alofa suburbs of Tofoa and Ma'ufanga.

 

Photo file 

     

Charles met Queen two days before testing Covid positive

They say the monarch is not showing any symptoms of coronavirus.

Prince Charles tested positive on Thursday morning - it is the second time he has contracted the virus.

The previous evening, he and the Duchess of Cornwall met Chancellor Rishi Sunak and others at a reception in the British Museum.

Camilla has tested negative for coronavirus, Clarence House said.

Buckingham Palace has not confirmed whether the Queen has tested positive or negative, citing medical privacy.

Moana Pasifika's Super Rugby debut in doubt

Moana Pasifika's final pre-season match is likely to be cancelled this weekend after a member of its training squad, who was with the team before it headed to Queenstown, was deemed a close contact.

A Blues player has also been deemed a close contact and is now isolating at the team's Queenstown hotel.

Players from both teams have so far returned negative results after rapid antigen tests but New Zealand Rugby's Chris Lendrum said they're waiting on more definitive PCR tests.

Fiji has recorded two new Covid-19 related deaths

A 75-year-old man with pre-existing medical condition died at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva on the first of this month.

The Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, Doctor James Fong said the man was not fully vaccinated as he had only received one dose of the vaccine.

The other death is that of a 64-year-old man from the Central Division with a significant pre-existing medical condition.

He was admitted to the CWM Hospital on the third of this month and passed away a day later. He had only received the first dose of the vaccine.

Tonga's PM says investigation underway into Covid-19 outbreak

The virus is suspected to have been transmitted from one of a number of merchant ships that had delivered aid to Tonga over the last two weeks.

Tonga went into lockodown at 6pm on Wednesday after two port workers tested postive for Covid-19.

At a media conference this afterrnoon, the government said the total number of positive Covid-19 cases in Tonga now stands at four - down from five originally announced on Wednesday.

6-month-old infant is Fiji’s latest victim to die of Covid-19

The baby was admitted at the CWM Hospital in Suva and her medical records reflected that she had a congenital medical condition that contributed to the severity of her illness and death on Monday.

All eight deceased were from the Central Division.

809 people have died due to COVID-19 in Fiji so far.

The Ministry of Health also recorded 95 new cases of which 83 are from n Tuesday and 12 new cases in the last 24 hours ending at 8 am yesterday.

Fijians urged to get vaccinated to reduce Covid-19 transmission

The Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. James Fong is urging all Fijians who are eligible to get vaccinated or take their booster shots.

Dr. Fong highlighted that the analysis of the first 95 deaths in the vaccine eligible population during this third wave has revealed that fully vaccinated adults have 16.2 times lower rate of death from Covid-19 than unvaccinated adults.

TikTok launches plan to fight Holocaust denial

Users who search for terms relating to the Holocaust will be directed towards accurate information.

A total of 17% of content related to the Holocaust on the viral video app either denied or distorted events, Unesco said.

TikTok said it put its "full strength" into removing hate.

Speaking on Holocaust Memorial Day, TikTok said that when people search for a term related to the Holocaust, they will now see a banner at the top of the results page that prompts them to visit a WJC and Unesco website aboutholocaust.org to learn more.

More than 100 Tongans stranded in Hawaii for up to two years due to Covid-19

 Now, the baby's about two years old.

The mother of seven's been stranded in Hawaii -- and away from six of her children -- since her homeland sealed its borders to keep out Covid-19.

"This is the first time that we have been apart," she said. "I cannot put into words how much I miss them a lot. And how much I yearn just see them. They're not old enough to take care of themselves."