Sunday, April 5, 2026
Newsletter
Support Kaniva
Home Blog Page 327

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
-

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.

Frontline staff worried by orders to go home rather than move to quarantine facilities immediately after Covid-19 case detected

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Frontline staff at Fua’amotu International airport are concerned at the orders they were given in the wake of the discovery of a Covid case on a flight from Christchurch.

Air New Zealand aircraft at Fua’amotu International airport. Photo/Kalino Lātū

The positive person was one of 215 people who arrived in Tonga on a repatriation flight from Christchurch on Wednesday.

Some airport staff including those who first boarded the plane in Tonga after it arrived said they were concerned after they were told to go home and not to the MIQs after the plane from Christchurch left Tonga on Wednesday night.

They were told to take a Covid test on Thursday, but it was cancelled. On Friday, the day Tonga acknowledged its first Covid case,  they were called again to have their test done at 1pm.

The frontliners said they were really concerned because they had their tests after they had  already mixed and mingled with their family and members of the community. After having their test done on Friday they were told to stay home and self isolate there. Some frontliners said they had just done their test this evening Saturday at 8,30pm before they were told to quarantine at the Kupesi hotel MIQ.

It is understood they wore full personal protective equipment (PPE) throughout the whole unloading process.

The Ministry of Health’s CEO, Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola said frontline staff should be safe because of the time needed for the virus to grow.

A female staffer who works for the Customs Department and was working on the night the flight arrived in Tonga left for Ha’apai island yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Talakeiola Club at Haveluloto told its members via its Facebook page, to avoid coming to the club until further notice because one of their members was a frontliner who was isolating in the club. It said he had been taken to the Kupesi hotel MIQ.

The frontliner’s unease has been shared by ordinary people who think the government has taken the kingdom’s first Covid case too lightly.

Tonga is currently in restriction mode, which includes a curfew. The Covid case should have moved the country to another level, but this has not happened.

Today a big celebration was held at Tonga College commemorating the school’s 139th anniversary.

Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa told a press conference that he was advised the virus would take more than three days to develop in somebody who caught it before they became contagious. For this reason the country would not move into lockdown this weekend.

However, Hon. Tu’i’onetoa  said people should use the time to get ready in case more cases were confirmed. Tonga may go into lockdown next week.

The delay has worried some people who said the virus may already spread in the community, especially frontline workers. They said Tonga should have gone into lockdown on Friday straight after the case was detected to protect the country while those who were close contacts and frontliners were monitored closely.

The infected person is still in isolation at the Tanoa Hotel in Nuku’alofa where passengers from the flight are in managed isolation for 21 days, but is expected to be moved to another facility.

Christchurch flight

Most of the passengers on the flight from Christchurch were seasonal workers and most of the Tongan Olympic team.

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.

 

Four contacts linked to Tonga Covid-19 case, 160 new community cases in NZ

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

There are 160 new community cases today – 151 in Auckland, seven in Waikato and one each in Northland and Canterbury.

There was no media briefing today. In a statement the Ministry said 95 of today’s cases are still to be linked and there have been 358 unlinked cases in the past 14 days.

“The case numbers reported today are a reminder of the infectiousness of Covid-19, and particularly the Delta variant, and the importance of vaccination as the best protection. The rise in case numbers is not unexpected and is line with modelling to date.”

There are 47 people in hospital, up from 37 yesterday. Two are in intensive care.

There are also two new cases at the border.

There were 125 new Covid-19 cases in the community reported yesterday afternoon.

There were 42,755 vaccine doses given yesterday – 10,995 first doses and 31,760 second doses.

There have now been 3205 cases in the current outbreak.

More cases in retirement home

Another seven residents and one staff member at the Edmonton Meadows retirement village in Henderson have tested positive for Covid-19 – bringing the total number of cases at the home to nine.

“It’s important to note there are high levels of vaccination among residents of the home, and all staff are fully vaccinated,” said the Ministry

“All staff and residents have now been tested and will also receive day 5 and day 12 testing.”

Only one positive staff member has been required to stand down.

The retirement village has been operating under alert level 3 guidelines for visitors.

New Canterbury case

The new case reported in Christchurch today is not linked to earlier cases reported in the city this week, but is a person who recently arrived in New Zealand and tested positive after multiple negative tests in MIQ in Auckland.

After being released and travelling to Christchurch, they had a further test which returned a positive result last night.

They have reported as being full vaccinated.

The Ministry said the person is now self-isolating in Christchurch, “pending further tests to determine the source of infection and whether it is acute or historical”.

Tongan case contacts travel to Wellington

Two of four household contacts of the person who tested positive after flying from Christchurch to Tonga then travelled to Wellington, the Ministry said.

Four contacts of the case who travelled to Tonga on Wednesday have now been identified. Two remain in Christchurch, while the other two travelled to Wellington on Tuesday.

“All contacts have been contacted by public health officials, been told to self-isolate and get tested.

“Anyone with symptoms is asked to please get tested and reminded to get vaccinated today if they have not already.”

Seven new cases in Waikato

The Ministry said the seven new cases in waikato today include two in Kāwhia which were reported in yesterday’s 1pm update. The others are three from Hamilton, one from the Te Awamutu/Kihikihi area, and one from Ōtorohanga

Of the seven cases, four remain unlinked.

“All are in isolation with public health oversight.”

———- FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA NOUNOU ——————-

Kuo fakapapau’i ‘eni ‘a e feitu’u Mo e kakai ne nau fetu’utaki ‘i Christchurch mo e toko taha kuo puke ‘i Tonga he Koviti’ ka ‘oku ‘ikai tuku mai ‘a e fakaikiiki ‘e he kau Ma’u Mafai Nu’u Sila’. Ko e toko ua ‘i he toko fā ne nau nofo fakataha mo e tokotaha kuo ma’u ‘i Tonga ‘e he Koviti’, na’a’ na fononga ki Uelingatoni, ko e lau ‘eni mei he Potungāue Mo’ui ‘a Nu’u Sila’. ‘A ia ko e toko ua ‘oku’ na kei Christchurch kae toko ua ‘i Uelingatoni he Tusite’. Kuo ‘osi fetu’utaki ‘a e kau ma’umafai’ mo kinautolu ke nau fakamama’o ‘iate kinautolu pe pea ō sivi. ‘Oatu ai pe ‘i he ongoongo ko eni tokolahi e keisi fo’ou ‘i Nu’u Sila ni’ ‘a ia ko e toko 160 he ‘aho ni. Vakai ki he Kaniva’ ki he fakaikiiki e talanoa’ ni

Businesses warned against ripping off customers as Tonga faces possible lockdown

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Businesses are being warned they must not rip customers off after the Prime Minister announced yesterday the kingdom could face a nightmare scenario if the Delta virus spread.

Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa (L), Hon Poasi Tei (Midde) and Ministry of Health Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola during a press conference yesterday announcing the positive Covid-19 case

The kingdom has recorded its first Covid-19 case after one of 215 people who arrived in Tonga on a repatriation flight from Christchurch on Wednesday tested positive.

Prime Minister Tu’i’onetoa asked the people to prepare themselves for the weekend, follow curfews and practice social distancing.

In a livestreamed press conference on Friday Tu’i’onetoa said the lockdown won’t happen this weekend because he was advised that the virus will take more than three days to develop in someone who caught it before they become contagious.

“We should use this time to get ready in case more people are confirmed they have the virus.”

After the positive case was confirmed, Vaiola hospital was swamped by people who rushed to get vaccinated.

Warning 

The Consumer Affairs has warned this morning that they were out in the community and visiting businesses to make sure they operate according to the law.

The authority has asked customers to ask for receipts and keep records of their shoppings and purchases.

People are being urged to report any similar conduct or if they have noticed price increases on goods during this time? Feel ripped off? Contact Consumer Affairs  by following this link  https://www.facebook.com/tongaconsumeraffairs.

The patient fully vaccinated 

As Kaniva News reported yesterday, the patient had been isolating at a quarantine hotel.

New Zealand health officials said the traveler to Tonga was fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine and had returned a negative test before leaving for Tonga.

The officials said they would be working with their Tongan counterparts to confirm the case and provide more details in the coming days.

As of October 25, around 47 per cent had received vaccinations in Tonga – 31 per cent of these were fully vaccinated, according to Our World In Data.

Covid 19 Delta variant: Tonga confirms first case ever after flight from Christchurch

By
Kalino Latu
-

A person has tested positive for Covid-19 in Tonga after arriving from Christchurch, New Zealand on Wednesday night, MEIDECC CEO  has just confirmed this to Kaniva News this afternoon.

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

When asked for confirmation CEO Paula Ma’u said: “Correct, one positive and PM will be on air 4pm our time (about now) to announce details”.

The confirmation has sparked concerns that the virus could have spread among the 215 passengers on board the flight who are now quarantined in Tongatapu.

The revelation came after an e-mail seen by Kaniva News sent from a senior doctor at Vaiola hospital at 1.48pm today said:

“We have 1 positive case”.

The sender, who we chose not to reveal their identity at this stage,  also made the following proposals.

“No one allowed to go up to wards without 2 vaccinations except it is the patient. All attendances should have the 2 vaccinations and only 1 attendance per patient.

“Limit visits to only close family and 2 per visit. Need ID for visit up to ward.

“Above should start as soon as we can inform the public say start Nov 1 which is Monday next week.

This was the first case of Covid-19 in the kingdom and it is understood the patient was in one of the MIQs in Nuku’alofa.

New Zealand cases

The Tongan case was detected after two cases of Covid-19 reported in Christchurch yesterday Thursday 28. Both cases lived together in the suburb of Bishopdale.

One of the cases had permission to go to Auckland to provide childcare and tested negative before returning to Christchurch.

The second case is a truck driver who completed deliveries around the Christchurch area and some trips to North Canterbury.

Both became unwell last week and were tested two days ago.

They returned positive Covid tests on Wednesday night.

Three households with nine close contacts have been identified.

Tonga’s CEO of the Ministry of Communications (MEIDECC), Paula Ma’u earlier  said they had received the report of the Christchurch Covid-19 cases after the passengers arrived in Tonga.

“The passengers were being processed according to the normal procedure at the quarantine facilities and tested for Covid-19″.

The repatriated flight arrived with passengers including seasonal workers as well as some of Tonga’s Olympic team officials who got stuck in New Zealand after the Olympic Games.

The last repatriation flight for the year is scheduled to arrive on November 23 according to a MEIDECC statement on October 26.

 

Covid-19 update: 125 new cases in the community, two in Canterbury

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

There are 125 new Covid-19 cases in the community today, including two new cases in Christchurch, the Ministry of Health says.

There was no Covid-19 media conference today. In a statement, the ministry said the two Christchurch cases were expected and related community cases, both from a single household linked to the cases identified earlier this week.

The Ministry said 13 close contacts of the four Canterbury cases were isolating and would undergo further testing. Covid-19 was detected in a Christchurch wastewater sample taken on Wednesday.

There was also one new case in Northland and four in Waikato, with the remaining 118 in Auckland. Three of the Waikato cases are still to be linked, but the Northland case was not unexpected, as they are a household member of a case and were already isolating.

Fifty-one of the new cases are still to be linked. There have been 289 unlinked cases in the past 14 days.

There were also three new cases and one historical case identified at the border.

There are 39 people in hospital with the coronavirus, including four in intensive care.

One of the new Auckland cases is a resident at Edmonton Meadows retirement village in Henderson.

“Public health staff are confident the risk of infection is low but, as a precaution, testing is being arranged for all staff and residents. Both staff and residents at the village have very high vaccination rates.

“Investigations are underway to determine the source of the infection and identify close contacts. At this stage, no staff members are required to stand down.”

The Ministry said the rise in case numbers was a reminder of the infectiousness of Covid-19.

“With over 30,000 tests processed nationwide yesterday, these results aren’t unexpected.”

There were 44,779 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine given yesterday, including 12,780 first doses and 31,999 second doses.

One of the four new cases reported in the Waikato today has been linked to existing cases. Three of the new cases were in the Te Awamutu/Kihikihi area and one in Ōtorohanga.

In Auckland, people in the suburbs of Redvale, Rosedale, New Lynn, Wiri, Drury, Henderson and Manurewa are being urged to get tested.

There were 89 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand yesterday, after the revelation of the first two cases in Christchurch.

The number of community cases linked to the current outbreak has risen to more than 3000, with 3046 cases in this outbreak – more than half of the 5764 in total since the pandemic began.

1...326327328...950Page 327 of 950
© Copyright 2026 Kaniva Tonga News & Entertainment