COVID-19 cases

This weekend is the first 'Super Round' of the competition where the Australian-based sides which include the Fijian Drua, and the New Zealand-based sides including Moana Pasifika, face off for the first time.

All six matches were scheduled to take place at Melbourne's Rectangular Stadium this weekend, but a rash of Covid-19 cases in the Force squad has led to the postponement of Friday's second fixture.

That's a drop of about 60 from the previous day's total.

Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni announced the new figures in a televised statement on Thursday morning.

Hu'akavameiliku said 5,541 people had recovered from the disease.

He credited a high vaccination rate with 90 percent of Tonga's eligible population fully vaxxed.

The latest Government figure on Covid deaths officially stands at nine.

The city of Shanghai will be locked down in two stages over nine days while authorities carry out Covid-19 testing.

The important financial hub has battled a new wave of infections for nearly a month, although case numbers are not high by some international standards.

Authorities had so far resisted locking down the city of some 25 million people to avoid destabilising the economy.

But after Shanghai recorded its highest daily number of cases on Saturday since the early days of the pandemic, authorities appear to have changed course.

With Vanuatu already out of the tournament in Qatar, Thursday's clash between Solomon Islands and Tahiti in Doha will now act as a single play-off match to determine the winner and runner-up of Group A, with both teams already assured of a spot in the semi-finals.

If the match is level at the end of 90 minutes, extra time will be played followed by penalties if required.

The health authorities say five patients are in hospital.

The number of active cases has almost halved in the past week and is now 662.

More than 80 percent of those 12 years and older have had two jabs.

Pandemic-related restrictions were further relaxed earlier this month by exempting more people from the obligation to be vaccinated.

There is also no longer a need to show a vaccine pass for domestic travel.

Government departments, schools and most businesses are closed down, and the public required to stay indoors.

More than half of Tonga's Cabinet are in self-isolation after the Prime Minister tested positive for Covid-19.

On Friday, the government officially announced Tonga's first Covid-19 deaths.

These events come just over two months since Tonga endured the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami on January 15.

Covid-19 outbreaks in the Blues, Highlanders, and Crusaders squads have forced a change in the schedule.

The only game that will be played this weekend is Moana Pasifika against the Chiefs at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland in Saturday night.

The original schedule had the Highlanders playing host to Moana Pasifika in Dunedin, the Blues playing the Crusaders in Christchurch, and the Hurricanes versus the Chiefs in Wellington.

Moana Pasifika have only played one game in their debut season so far - that was against the Crusaders earlier this month.

In a release the Highlanders said they had cancelled today's training session, but at this point there has been no decision made on Friday's game in Dunedin.

They said there had been no change to the rest of their schedule this week.

The Highlanders have managed to play four games so far this season, losing all four of them.

However, another postponed game would be a major setback for Moana Pasifika, who have played just one game so far.

They had two games postponed at the start of the season because of Covid-19 in their camp.

Two Covid-related deaths have also been reported and there are 952 people in hospital, including 19 in intensive care.

The average age of people in hospital is currently 58.

Of the two Covid-related deaths, one was in Waikato and one was in Canterbury. Both people were women aged over 70.

The total number of publicly reported Covid-19 related deaths to date is now 115, the ministry said in a statement.

"Our thoughts and sympathies are with the whānau and friends of all those who have died."

Minister for Health Dr. Saia Piukala confirmed the death of a positive case with premedical conditions.

He announced that there were 39 positive cases reported following tests carried out on repatriated passengers from New Zealand and Australia.

Specimens have been sent to New Zealand for confirmation of variant.

Authorities have identified two hotspots in Sia’atoutai, with 34 cases, and Hu’atolitoli Prison with 55 new cases.