80 TO 100% CERTAIN COVID19 NOT THE CAUSE OF DEATH, SAYS MOH CHIEF
By: Joshua Lafoai
Based on his medical records coupled by his fit and healthy condition a week prior to his death, the late Seasonal Worker who was proclaimed dead on arrival at the Leulumoega District hospital may not have died from Coronavirus.
This was the response by MoH Chief Executive Officer Leausa Dr. Take Naseri to queries by the media at a Press Conference yesterday afternoon.
Leausa noted that with his recent medical history and lack of any serious illness experienced by the deceased the MoH Chief Executive is 80 to 100% certain that the cause of death is not to the COVID19 virus.
The official cause of death will be determined after a Post Mortem to be conducted by a Coroner from overseas.
In the meantime, the Medical Chief says that the teams from the Health Emergency Operation Center have also made contact with the 12 Samoan RSE workers who were quarantined together with the deceased. And as of yesterday after medical checks they remain COVID 19 free.
“Everyone who ever was repatriated was required to provide a signed form that they were tested negative for COVID19 while in New Zealand. This is the first step to clearance. Then they come to Samoa and are quarantined for 14 days and then retested on their last day before being released out to their homes,” he said.
Leausa says the Ministry didn’t take any chances when they were alerted of the young man’s passing.
“When we were told on Sunday, we moved to contact those he was in quarantine with, and also those they were in contact with. We also tested the deceased within 24 hours, and the results still came out negative,” he added.
“We went ahead and tested the deceased still before it gets to the situation where there would be no more living cells in his body, and still the same result, negative, no COVID,” he added.
Leausa did not hold back when he was asked regarding false stories posted online by multiple social media accounts claiming that the cause of death was COVID 19.
“What do I think of the fake news? Irresponsible. Irresponsible reporting. That shouldn’t be happening,” he added.
“Especially in a matter of life and death, so everybody should take it seriously,” he said.
Leausa continued to lay out the naysayers calling on those critical of Samoa’s COVID 19 response, to put their trust in the plan laid out by the Government to protect the lives of the people.
“If people want to be reassured that we are doing our job right, listen to what we are telling them. We are going to reassure them,” he said.
However, Leausa says Samoa’s testing for COVID19 is being done at a very concentrated and carefully planned out rate.
“The way big countries are dealing with the virus is that they set up road blocks, then they test everyone they come around during these road blocks. This cannot be the case for Samoa. Right now, we only have 2,000 tests left at the hospital,” he said.
“We cannot afford to test everyone every time with the limited amount of testing we have at the moment. However, we have a well laid out plan starting from before they get on that plane to come to Samoa and all the way until they leave Quarantine,” he added.
Meanwhile, MOH will await a coroner from overseas, to determine the cause of death for the 27 year old male who died over the weekend. Leausa says, the process to getting a coroner to come to Samoa, cannot be rushed as it poses the risk of bringing the virus to Samoa.
“We cannot just bring the forensic pathologists and expect them not to go through quarantine or to be tested regularly as well. We will not take a risk of rushing a coroner to Samoa, where it could potentially be the one case that would end up bringing it to our islands,” he said.
As for tests, Samoa has already placed multiple orders for new tests to be shipped over to Samoa. These tests are produced in the United States and in Europe, and the funneling of the tests out to neighboring countries take time.
Nonetheless, Leausa says the Government COVID19 response plan has held up its end of keeping Samoa COVID free.
