Port Vila, 17th February 2022
One passenger who arrived in Vanuatu on the 15th of February 2022 on a flight from Australia and 3 passengers from New Caledonia that arrived on the 16th of February have confirmed as active cases of COVID-19. Samples will be sent overseas to determine the type of COVID-19 variant for these passengers.
Another 10 passengers from Australia and 2 passengers from New Caledonia are currently under investigation and testing to determine their COVID-19 status. All passengers on both flights met all health requirements to travel to Vanuatu, including vaccination and testing, and are currently in quarantine.
All frontline workers at higher risk of exposure were placed in precautionary quarantine immediately after repatriation flight operations. These frontliners have all received full recommended doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and operated under strict COVID-19 protocols which includes wearing the recommended Personal Protective Equipment’s (PPE’s) and following other protection measures to reduce the risk of transmission. Frontliners in precautionary quarantine are also under investigation and testing to ensure they have not been infected with COVID-19. It is emphasized that all individuals in quarantine and pre-cautionary quarantine must adhere to all quarantine protocols and health measures such as washing hands with soap and water, do not touch your eyes, nose and mouth, practice respiratory hygiene, clean and disinfect surfaces, wearing mask when outside of their room and to respect physical distancing and avoid any physical contacts with quarantine staff.
There is currently no evidence of cases identified outside of quarantine or 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).
Public are encouraged to continue practicing health measures such as, washing hands with soap and water, do not touch your eyes, nose and mouth, practice respiratory hygiene, clean and disinfect surfaces, practice physical distancing and avoid crowded areas.
It is important that all communities and organizations have in place their COVID-19 preparedness and response plans as the situation evolves. The plans should include having in place adequate personal protective equipment such as Ministry of Health approved masks, disinfectants, hand sanitizers, hand washing stations, etc.
There will be a temporary suspension of international inbound flights to Vanuatu until all case investigation and contact tracing are completed.
The risk of COVID-19 importation to Vanuatu is high given the current surge in COVID-19 cases from our neighboring countries. The current Health processes and procedures for detecting and containing COVID-19 cases at the border remain significant to prevent community transmission. People are encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID-19 with available COVID-19 vaccines.
The eligible population (18 years and above who have received their second dose of AstraZeneca or Sinopharm vaccine more than 5 months) are encouraged to come forth for their booster shoot.
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, the Health Promotions Vanuatu Facebook page, and via the 119 Health Information Hotline.