CORONAVIRUS UPDATE Friday, 1 April 2022
REPUBLIC OF NAURU
Government Information Office
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
by
Honourable Isabella Dageago, MP
Minister for Health
Friday, 1 April 2022
In today's update, Minister
for Health Isabella Dageago calls for urgency as vaccination slows
down across the two age groups, 12-17 year olds and adults.
The minister says the number of
people getting their vaccine is slowing down and has not met the
March targets of vaccination coverage; thus posing a real concern
for plans in regards to travellers entering Nauru in April.
The minister says the children have
reached 97 per cent coverage on their first dose and getting close
to 90 per cent for the second dose. But the numbers are slowing
down.
The adult booster shot has reached
60 per cent coverage but is also slowing down. The minimum
requirement is to have 80 per cent of adults fully vaccinated with
three shots, but above 95 per cent is ideal.
The targeted age groups, 12-17
years, require two doses and the adults require three doses.
The kids' age group are mostly
teenagers and is a challenge for the public health team to reach.
It's just as vital for the children in this group to understand the
importance of getting their full course of the vaccine.
Parents are urged to bring their
children in to get full vaccine coverage.
The Minister stresses that the risk
of COVID entering Nauru remains high. Weekly passenger flights have
never ceased for Nauru and this poses a risk.
She adds that Nauru needs to
continue vaccination while we still have supplies of the Pfizer
vaccine.
The minister warns that the numbers
of cases in Australia are surging again and highlighted that
travellers are arriving every week to Nauru from all over the
world.
She adds that whilst Nauru
maintains the border 'capture & contain' procedures, the chance
COVID will arrive on Nauru continues to increase and if it arrives
we need to make sure our people have maximum protection - and that
is through getting all your doses of the vaccine when they are
due
The experience all around the world
continues to show that whilst vaccinated people may get infected,
it is usually mild and short-lived if they are fully
vaccinated.
However, unvaccinated or those who
haven't had their second or third doses when due, are the ones who
continue to suffer, end up in the intensive care unit and are far
more likely to lose their lives.
We can all be protected from COVID
if everyone gets all the doses of vaccine needed.
Call the COVID Hotline, 191, for
enquiries.