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Testing systems don’t lie says Health CEO as he hits back against online claims and rumours

By
Kalino Latu
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CEO of the Ministry of Health Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola said today the Ministry’s testing systems didn’t lie.

Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola, Ministry of Health CEO

Dr ‘Akau’ola was rejecting rumours on social media that the Ministry was lying about the existence of a positive case from last Thursday’s repatriation flight from Christchurch.

His response came after Kaniva sent him an audio file which has been widely shared on Facebook. The file purports to be the voice of the Tongan patient being quarantined saying his test was negative. The man in the audio file says that he was one of a group of Mormon church missionaries who tested positive.

There is no evidence the audio is genuine and people have argued it was  important to trust the Ministry and the health professionals who were educated and trained to do the job. However, the audio file has also sparked outrage online with critics taking it seriously. They accused the government of lying.

Dr ‘Akau’ola told Kaniva News this morning the sample from the patient was tested on Thursday, October 28 and Friday, October 29. He referred to the positive result as “weak positive”.

He previously said the person’s sample was tested on all three of the Health’s COVID-19 testing machines on October 28.

In confirming the Vaiola hospital lap test positive results he said: “It was not lying”.

“It can be a historical virus or a baby virus which tried to grow, but was stopped by the antibiotic because the patient was fully vaccinated. The testing equipment cannot tell the difference between these two aspects of the virus,” Dr ‘Akau’ola said.

“The next test for the patient will tell whether it was a weak virus and it became negative and that test will be conducted on Wednesday or Thursday. If it is negative let’s be grateful because it shows the antibody managed to stop the virus from growing. Thanks New Zealand for vaccinating the person.

“The nature of the virus is shedding and it can be negative or positive at various times and this is why we have the 21-day quarantine rule.”

All the people on the flight from Christchurch were required to have negative Covid tests prior to departure.

New Zealand’s Ministry of Health said the positive case was fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine,and had their second dose on October 15.

Tonga’s main island Tongatapu is currently on lockdown for one week until next week Monday 8.

 

COVID-19: Tongatapu placed into one-week lockdown after first case detected

By
Kalino Latu
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Tonga has announced a snap lockdown for main island Tongatapu after a person tested positive for Covid, the first case since the worldwide pandemic.

Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa. Photo/Kalino Lātū (Kaniva Tonga)

The Prime Minister said the main island will go on lockdown for one week starting tomorrow Tuesday 2 at 12.01 am until Monday 8 at 11.59pm.

The case was detected in Nuku’alofa, after three tests conducted at the Vaiola hospital lap on samples from 215 passengers who flew from Christchurch to Tonga on Wednesday.

Authorities say they are working on the assumption that the new case was the Delta variant.

Around 62 per cent of Tonga’s population has been fully vaccinated.

The lockdown announcement was made according to the lockdown alert levels used in New Zealand and Australia.

The Prime Minister said essential services including businesses like banks and the market will stay open.

All schools are closed before the high school national exams starting on Tuesday 9, after the one-week lockdown ends on Monday 8.

Funeral services were allowed with 10 people inside and 20 outside

Covid 19 Delta outbreak: In-principle decision to move Auckland to step 2 next week, Waikato to move to step 2

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

Cabinet met today to review alert levels in Auckland and parts of Waikato, which are currently at alert level 3, step 1.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says Cabinet has decided in principle to move Auckland to alert level 3 step 2 next Tuesday at 11.59pm.

Parts of Waikato will move down to step 2 of alert level 3 from tomorrow 11.59pm.

Watch the announcement here:

Ardern says the Director-General of Health recommended Waikato can move to the second step down in level 3.

This means retail can open their doors with face masks and physical distancing; the number of people meeting outside can increase to 25; while the two-household restriction is also removed.

In Auckland, fewer than 5000 first doses remain before reaching 90 percent single-dose vaccination, and for Auckland as a whole 80 percent has had two doses.

“And that’s incredible,” Ardern says. “Case numbers, while growing, remain within some of our expectations as modelled and the public health assessment of the impact of changes like opening up retail include that this activity is generally not responsible for marked increases of new cases.”

Cabinet has decided in principle to move Auckland to the second step down of level 3 from next Tuesday, 9 November, at 11.59pm.

Ardern says the approach is to take a “steady and conscious change” in restrictions.

“For those who have concerns about any easing, I would say that because of high vaccination rates in Auckland we can move forward with greater confidence and we will continue to have very strong and clear public health guidance on how businesses that are eligible to reopen, do so.”

Vaccination rates

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says as of yesterday 75 percent of eligible New Zealanders are now fully vaccinated, and 80 percent can be expected to reach that milestone next week. Auckland is already at 80 percent.

He says 70 percent was a figure that was being bandied about internationally, so to reach that is fantastic.

Pointing to several slides showing the outbreak in Auckland, Bloomfield says whilst case numbers are increasing, “we can see the hospitalisation numbers are not increasing at the same rate, and in fact a number of those people in hospital are in hospital for reasons other than Covid-19”.

He says of concern in the current cases is a large proportion of Māori. “It was less than 10 percent of cases initially in August but is … between 40 and 50 percent of cases each day now.”

He says the number of Pasifika cases has dropped from the high proportion seen at the beginning of the outbreak.

Bloomfield says testing for Māori is still high, however, with about 12 percent of Māori in Auckland having been tested in the past 14 days. “This is very important for us being able to identify cases there.”

He says there has also been a slight increase in the positivity rate, but it remains one of the lowest, if not the lowest, in the OECD.

Modelling of the R-value shows projections for where case numbers are expected to go. Bloomfield says vaccination rates can be expected to have an impact on the R-value.

He says hospitalisations last week were higher than what was expected, but ICU rates remained low.

Most cases are among the unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, he says, and the impact of vaccination on hospitalisations “is even more profound”, as can be seen from the data.

Ardern says daily case numbers do not say much about how the Covid-19 response is going.

She says she will travel to support Northland’s vaccination efforts tomorrow, and on Wednesday will be in Whanganui to support the vaccination teams there.

Parts of the Waikato will move to the next stage within alert level 3 would be which isstep 2 where retail can operate and public facilities like pools, libraries and museums reopen, subject to mask-wearing and social distancing.

There were 162 new community cases of Covid-19 reported today, 156 in Auckland and five in Waikato.

More than 3.1 million New Zealanders are now fully vaccinated.

Covid-19: 162 new community cases in New Zealand today

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

There are 162 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today.

Wellington Covid-19 testing station on 23/8/2021.
A sign outside a Covid-19 testing centre. File photo Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said of the new cases, 156 are in Auckland, five in Waikato and one in Northland.

There are also four new cases at the border.

The ministry said 53 people are in hospital, down from 56 yesterday – 15 in North Shore, 19 in Middlemore and 19 in Auckland.

Today more than 3.1 million New Zealanders now fully vaccinated, the ministry said.

It said it would highlight how many New Zealanders were vaccinated rather than the number of community cases to ” better reflect the shift in New Zealand’s current response to Covid-19 and the importance of vaccination”.

There were more than 20,000 vaccines administered yesterday taking NZ’s vaccination rate to 88 percent for first doses and 75 percent for second doses representing 3,159,301 fully vaccinated New Zealanders.

New Zealand had 303 cases over the weekend including Saturday’s 160 new infections which was a record for the pandemic.

There was no media conference at 1pm, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern due to hold a briefing at 4pm to announce Cabinet’s decision on whether alert levels for Auckland and parts of Waikato will be eased.

The next stage within alert level 3 would be ‘step 2’ where retail could operate and public facilities like pools, libraries and museums reopen, subject to mask-wearing and social distancing.

Ardern told Morning Report she would be sharing more details on Covid-19 modelling which suggests a rise in case numbers which would peak at 200 per day this month.

More to come…

Covid-19: Long queues at Nuku‘alofa testing centres after MIQ case

By
Kaniva Staff
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People waited in line for hours to get Covid-19 vaccines at a Nuku’alofa testing site after the announcement of Tonga’s first Covid case on Friday.

Long queues at Queen Sālote Memorial vaccination centre leave people waiting hours for their vaccination. Photo/Supplied

Long queues could be seen at the Queen Sālote Memorial building in Nuku’alofa this morning.

Reports said the high turnout will help boost the national coverage among the eligible population to hit 86 per cent with first dose and a second dose of about 62 percent.

There were also reports of worried residents flooding shops to buy groceries and there were queues at petrol stations and also at the hospital for vaccinations on Friday.

Prime minister  Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa is expected to make an announcement today about any future lockdowns.

He said on Friday his cabinet will decide today what action to take following confirmation the Covid-19 case came in on a repatriation flight from Christchurch on Wednesday.

As Kaniva News reported earlier this morning, Tongan veteran journalist Kalafi Moala said the government appears to have failed in meeting the level of preparedness it promised the public if the Covid arrived in the kingdom.

“There is no sign of preparedness for this despite the number of previous statements assuring the public there was a plan already in place if the virus will arrive here,” Moala said.

Moala said the government needs to give people more certainty.

Tonga’s Covid response faulted as too slow, unprepared: Kalafi Moala

By
Kalino Latu
-

The government’s handling of the Covid case has been criticised as too slow and this shows its preparations to handle a pandemic appeared to be insufficient.

Kalafi Moala (L), PM Pōhiva Tu’ionetoa

Tonga has announced its first ever case of Covid-19 on Friday last week and the Prime Minister has indicated a possible lockdown starting today Monday, November 1.

The Prime Minister urged the public to get vaccinated and not to be panic during a press conference on Friday.

The public has been waiting since last Friday and it is Monday about midday 11.30am now but still the government has yet to make any update.

Tongan veteran journalist Kalafi Moala said the government appears to have failed in meeting the level of preparedness it promised the public if the Covid arrived in the kingdom.

“There is no sign of preparedness for this despite the number of previous statements assuring the public there was a plan already in place if the virus will arrive here,” Moala said.

Moala said the government needs to give people more certainty.

“Now it is clear the accusation against the Prime Minister’s national fasting and prayer services were meant to promote a parliamentary election campaign for him and the Cabinet ministers.

The Prime Minister said his fast and prayer services policy was to protect Tonga from Covid-19.

“Now the virus is here in Tonga, but they still promote that campaigning policy”, Moala said.

One of Tonga’s top journalists Dr Sione Vikilani said on Facebook this morning that information is important especially when there are significant national issues.

“The information needed to be accurate and true and they have to be released on timely manners to the public so that the people of the country receive the same information at the same time from the government. The spreading of misinformation is growing because of the slowness in releasing the factual information (from authorities). What will happen is that the people could believe in whatever information they can get”, Vikilani wrote in Tongan.

Critics humiliate PM and Health Minister over their initial claims and denials over Covid-19

By
Kalino Latu
-

Critics have humiliated Health Minister Associate Professor Amelia Tu’ipulotu after she vehemently denied on Thursday night October 29 reports that Tonga had its first case of the Covid-19 virus,  before the test returned positive for a passenger from New Zealand on Friday 30.

PM Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa. Photo/Kalino Lātū (Kaniva News)

The Prime Minister was also humiliated and criticised for bragging during the same meeting that the kingdom was still Covid-19 free because voters had elected him to Parliament, implying that it was his leadership that saved Tonga from the virus.

The Prime Minister again told his Tongatapu 10 constituency meeting God protected Tonga from Covid-19.

They are now being criticised for not apologising to the public for their false confirmation.

The full house meeting at Tongatapu 10’s  Lapaha town was also livestreamed as part of Tu’i’onetoa’s campaign for the upcoming election on November 18.

The Minister of Health  took the stand and strongly criticised the media.

“To all Tongans, Tongatapu 10 and Kauhala ‘uta. The information which was released on internet that Tonga has Covid-19 is all lying,”  Tu’ipulotu said to applause by the gathering.

She criticised people who spread the information and warned the gathering about them.

Minister of Health Dr ‘Amelia Tu’ipulotu

The Minister did not identify the source of information to which she referred, but there was a lot of discussion and debates on Facebook by the Tongan online community on Thursday morning after the arrival of the repatriation flight from New Zealand on Wednesday night.

Concerned Tongans wanted to know whether the two cases of Covid reported in Christchurch on Thursday morning had any link to the passengers who flew in the Tongan repatriated flight.

The positive test for Covid was confirmed and the news released  by Kaniva News on Friday afternoon before a press conference by the Prime Minister confirmed it.

Mixed reaction 

There was a mixed reaction on social media, with people split over the situation. Some claimed the government made up the story about the Covid positive case in an attempt to postpone the election. Others said they still believed the Minister of Health’s statement on Thursday night denying there was any Covid case in Tonga.

Even now when the news has been overwhelmingly confirmed by the media, some Tongans on Facebook still do not believe there is a Covid case in Tonga.

No apologies

Unfortunately, the Minister and the Prime Minister did not correct what they had said on Thursday night during the Press Conference on Friday and no one from the media asked them about it.

The supporters of Opposition Party, the PTOA Party, have criticised the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health on Facebook for politicising the Covid issue and said they should have not given such a false assurance when it was clear Covid cases had been recorded in Christchurch before the flight departed to Tonga.

The PTOA candidate for Parliament from Tongatapu 10 Kapeli Lanumata accused the Prime Minister of lying to the constituency.

“I regret Tu’i’onetoa and his government’s  lying to me and my house”, Lanumata, who is from Lapaha, said on Facebook.

Critics have called on Tu’i’onetoa to resign. The PM had said it was his leadership that saved Tonga, but the fact that the virus was in Tonga meant his leadership was strongly called into question.

Covid-19: Two escape Jet Park quarantine; person isolating at home missing

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

Two positive community cases who fled the Jet Park Managed Quarantine Facility yesterday are still to be found, in the second breach of MIQ security this weekend.

Exterior of jetpark
Photo: RNZ / Nick M

Joint Head of MIQ Brigadier Rose King said two positive community cases staying at the Jet Park Managed Quarantine Facility absconded at 4.45pm yesterday and are yet to be located.

“MIQ is working with police to locate them.”

Meanwhile, the police are also trying to find a person who was meant to be isolating at home in the west Auckland suburb of New Lynn.

The police were called yesterday morning and told the person had left the property.

The escapes follow an incident yesterday when a community case staying at the Novotel & Ibis MIQ facility in Ellerslie allegedly escaped at about 12.50pm, before being found by police and taken into custody at 1.14pm.

King said this case had no contact with anyone in the community and there was likely to be a low risk to the public.

But she said the fact that people have absconded from two of the country’s MIQ facilities was “disappointing and unacceptable” and an investigation had been launched into how these events occurred.

She said the facilities were not prisons and the individuals had “wilfully absconded”.

“There are rules in place for every single returnee from overseas and now the positive community cases, and we expect people to follow these during their stay in managed isolation or quarantine. This is so they can return to the community safely, while ensuring the safety of all New Zealanders.

“Deliberate breaches like this can put the wider community at risk.”

Covid-19 update: 143 new community cases in New Zealand today

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

There are 143 new community cases today – 135 in Auckland, six in Waikato and two in Northland.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said 73 cases are still to be linked.

There were no cases detected at the border today.

Record case count on Saturday

The highest national daily count for new Covid-19 cases in the pandemic was reported yesterday, with 160 community cases.

Of those, 151 cases were found in Auckland (including eight at Edmonton Meadows retirement village), seven in Waikato and one each in Canterbury and Northland.

A man infected with Covid-19 was yesterday reported to have broken out of an Ellerslie MIQ hotel in Auckland, but was caught by police less than half and hour later and has been arrested.

And a public health expert said the rising case numbers could be the result of people who were contacts or had symptoms not getting tested.

More to come…

Starting next year, some immunocompromised people may receive a fourth Covid vaccine dose, the C.D.C. says.

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Daniel E. Slotnik of New York Times 

Some American adults with weakened immune systems who received a third dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccine authorized just for them will become eligible for a fourth shot as a booster next year, according to updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“In such situations, people who are moderately and severely immunocompromised may receive a total of four vaccine doses,” with the fourth coming at least six months after the third, the C.D.C.’s guidelines said.

In August, federal regulators cleared a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for some immunocompromised recipients of those vaccines, instructing them to get it at least 28 days after their second shot. Federal agencies said that studies have shown that those people may not be adequately protected by just two shots.

The earliest that immunocompromised people who received that third mRNA vaccine shot can get a fourth shot as a booster would be February. The agency said that people could select that booster from any of the three coronavirus vaccines available in the United States.

The C.D.C. also recommends that moderately and severely immunocompromised adults who received Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine get another dose of any one of the three vaccine brands, at least two months after their initial shot.

The agency updated its guidelines on Monday, adding the possibility of a booster dose for many immunocompromised people, including those undergoing chemotherapy, recovering from a solid organ transplant or facing certain other medical issues, like infection with H.I.V.

The new recommendations also specified that a fourth dose of Moderna’s vaccine should be half the size of a normal dose.

Many health officials and experts in the United States and other countries have made a distinction between additional shots for immunocompromised people, who may not have mounted a strong immune response after their initial doses, and broader booster programs intended to shore up other peoples’ immunity, which can wane against infection naturally over time.

The World Health Organization has supported additional doses for people with weakened immune systems while calling for a global moratorium until the end of the year on booster programs for otherwise healthy people, so that more doses can be allocated to lower-income countries with low rates of vaccination.

The call for a moratorium has not stopped countries like Israel, the United States and Germany from moving ahead with booster programs.

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