- Two passengers who arrived to Vanuatu on a flight from New Caledonia on 22 October 2021 and were confirmed to have active COVID-19 infections are now both fully recovered. One person was released from the isolation ward at Vila Central Hospital on 26 November after receiving medical clearance. The second person remained in isolation for additional medical assessment but received medical clearance and was released on 3 December 2021.
- Therefore, as of 3 December 2021 Efate and Offshore Islands returned to Alert Level 0 (Low risk) due to no active cases. The whole of Vanuatu is therefore now at Alert Level 0.
- So far, 297,200 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been received in Vanuatu, comprising 197,200 AstraZeneca doses and 100,000 Sinopharm doses.
- Vaccine roll-out has commenced in all six provinces. Vaccines are prioritised to health workers, front line workers (e.g. border workers, quarantine facility staff, public transport drivers), the elderly (55 and over), and people 35 and over with existing medical conditions.
- Up until 5 December 2021, there were 147,595 COVID-19 doses administered in Vanuatu. A total of 100,264 people received at least one dose of AstraZeneca or Sinopharm and 47,345 people have received two doses of either Sinopharm or AstraZeneca and are considered fully vaccinated.
- There have been 580 adverse events following COVID-19 immunization notified in Vanuatu. The vast majority have been mild to moderate side-effects reported via the dial-in line. 16 have been classified as serious adverse events and have required investigation. Of these, 15 required a causality assessment. 10 were confirmed to be coincidental, one was immunization anxiety-related and two were indeterminate (due to conflicting trends). Two serious AEFIs were confirmed to be related to a COVID-19 vaccine product administered in Vanuatu.
- Everyone is urged to refer to official information sources and avoid rumours. Updates will be communicated via the COVID-19 website: www.covid19.gov.vu
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