- Two active cases of COVID-19 have been detected in quarantine. One was a passenger who arrived to Vanuatu on a flight from Fiji on 24 November 2021 and the other arrived on the 1 December 2021 on a flight from Australia. Neither of the passengers showed any signs or symptoms of COVID-19. Samples will be sent overseas to determine the COVID-19 variant for each.
- There is currently no evidence of transmission of COVID-19 in the community.
- As of 13 December 2021, Efate and Offshore islands are elevated to Alert Level 1 (Medium): Cases at the border. Everywhere else remains at Level 0 (Low): No cases.
- 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 12 December 2021, there were 152,711 COVID-19 doses administered in Vanuatu. A total of 102,308 people received at least one dose of AstraZeneca or Sinopharm and 50,403 people have received two doses of either Sinopharm or AstraZeneca and are considered fully vaccinated.
- There have been 601 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. 19 have been classified as serious adverse events and have required investigation. Of these, 18 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