NEW TEST KITS FOR COVID19
By: Joshua Lafoai
The recent delivery of new COVID19 test kits from the World Health Organization, in collaboration with the Governments of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Community (SPC) is greatly appreciated by the Government of Samoa.
And acknowledging the assistance, Director General of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri says the current supplies of close to 4,000 test kits (including the WHO consignment) will boost reserve supplies dedicated to test all returning Samoan residents and repatriation flights and hundreds of public servants putting their lives on the line as front liners at the Borders, (Airport and Port).
Leausa added that contrary to the political rhetoric and misinformation condemning the health capabilities to administer universal testing for local residents and sailors on incoming containers vessels, resources available cannot sustain such a demand.
As a result, the MoH with the approval from the National Emergency Operation Center the priority is for all returning residents who are tested twice, first upon arrival and lastly a day before they are released at the completion of their 14 day quarantine period to ensure they are COVID free.
All frontline staff are also tested from time to time.
As for sailors, only seafarers who come to shore are tested prior to having any contact with local port staff.
The approach says Leausa is the best option to ensure that the preventative measure for the virus to sneak into the country is not compromised. And to date, with more than nine months into the Border Security Enforcement, Samoa remains COVID free.
“We don’t need to test people who are not entering the country. The Fesco Askold crew were isolated in a separate room on the ship while our people worked on servicing the containers on the docks,” he said.
“So to have us waste valuable test kits we could used on other more proximate situations, is not ideal,” he said.
Leausa was referring to the SOE protocols for all frontline workers from the MOH, Samoa Ports Authority, and Immigration at the Airport, who have to be tested whenever a repatriation flight is in Samoa.
“It is not a case of not having enough tests, it’s a case of using them when necessary, so were not going to start testing people who will have no contact with our people whatsoever,” he said.
The Interim Chairman of the National Emergency Operation Center, Agafili Tomaimano Shem Leo reiterated that Samoa has the most repatriated citizens since COVID19 lockdown measures began in all the Pacific.
The only pacific neighbor closest to Samoa is Tonga, and they have repatriated a little over a 100 people compared to close to 3,000 Samoans returning home with three or more flights to repatriate Samoans in the planning stages before the end of the year.
