A passenger who arrived on the 24th of November 2021 on a flight from Fiji and another who arrived on 1st of December 2021 on a flight from Australia have both been confirmed as active cases of COVID-19. Both passengers met all health requirements to travel to Vanuatu, including vaccination and testing, and are currently in quarantine. Neither of the passengers showed any symptoms of COVID-19. Samples will be sent overseas to determine the COVID- 19 variant for each.

Currently there is no indication of COVID-19 cases in the community. However, Efate and Offshore Islands will today move to Alert Level 1 (medium risk) due to cases at the border. The rest of Vanuatu remains at Alert Level 0 (low risk).

COVID-19 is widespread throughout the world with community transmission now in countries that are common transit points to Vanuatu. Therefore, the risk of importation of COVID-19 to Vanuatu is increasing. Our processes and procedures for detecting and containing COVID-19 cases at the border remain important to prevent community transmission in Vanuatu.

The best way to protect yourself, your family and your community is to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. WHO-recommended vaccines like AstraZeneca and Sinopharm are safe and effective. They reduce severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. Vaccination operations will continue throughout December and January. People are urged to come forward immediately to ensure they are vaccinated in a timely manner.

The public are urged to refer only to official information sources and avoid the spread of rumors and misinformation. Updates are available on www.covid19.gov.vu, on the Health Promotions Facebook page, and via the 119 Health Information Hotline.