COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign

PNG church leaders drafted in vaccination campaign

Official figures show around 60,000 people in PNG have had their first dose of a vaccine, and just 1900 have had both.

A recent survey by PNG’s health department, found that just 39 per cent of people - excluding health workers - were willing to take a COVID-19 vaccine.

Church officials and leaders are now being drafted in to the fight online conspiracy theories and encourage vaccinations.

Dr Alphonse Aime is the Head of the Communications department at the Divine Word University and says more needs to be done to counter the anti-vaccination messages.

COVID-19 vaccination campaign underway as Fiji reports 6 new cases

The campaign got underway this morning as the Ministry of Health confirmed another six new cases of COVID-19 as at 8pm last night.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry announced 18 new cases taking the total yesterday to 24, the highest number of cases in a day since new cases began emerging in April.

There are now 92 active cases in isolation.

Fiji has had 230 cases in total, with 134 recoveries and 4 deaths, since the first case was reported on 19 March 2020.

A total of 88,294 COVID-19 laboratory tests have been conducted since testing started in early 2020.

“Vaccination is our best hope” – Dr Pafilio Tangitau working on the frontlines in Tonga

Dr Pafilio, a frontline health worker in Tonga, works in the Emergency Department at Vaiola Hospital in Nuku’alofa.

He was one of the first health workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, after Tonga received its first batch of 24,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses on 31 March, becoming the third country in the Pacific to receive vaccines through COVAX, a global initiative ensuring equitable access for all.

“I have received my first shot of the vaccine and all I felt was a slight pinch, which is the same for any injection or vaccine you receive."