CORONAVIRUS UPDATE by His Excellency President Lionel Aingimea, MP
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
by
His Excellency President Lionel
Aingimea, MP
Tuesday, 5 April 2022
In today's update, His Excellency
President Lionel Aingimea confirms a third person has tested
positive to COVID-19, detected in quarantine at the RON Hospital
acute ward negative pressure unit on the night of Monday 4
April.
These three people travelled on a
passenger flight on 31 March and were placed in the COVID Acute
Ward after two of them tested positive while in hotel quarantine.
The third person who tested positive last night is the spouse of
one of the first two cases.
They are well and asymptomatic and
will remain in the Acute Ward for further observation and
testing.
All travellers on that flight are
still in quarantine at the Budapest Hotel and Anibare Village
Transit Station; they are still negative. Their time in quarantine
has been extended to Monday 11 April. They are being tested daily
with the rapid antigen test (RAT) and PCR tested every five days.
Keeping them longer in quarantine is a Taskforce protocol even
though they are negative from COVID.
The President says although Nauru
has lost its COVID-free status, the community is safe as there is
no community transmission.
Schools and workplaces are still
open and businesses are still operating.
According to the COVID Taskforce
Nauru is at level one on the threat scale which means that COVID-19
has reached Nauru but is contained in the Acute Ward, therefore
eliminating exposure in the community.
The COVID Taskforce and health
department are conducting Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) in the
community to assure the public of how safe it is and that there is
no leakage of the virus into the community.
On the weekend all frontline
workers were tested using PCR testing while rapid testing stations
were set up at the government office on Monday 4 April for
employees and the public. Everyone returned negative results.
The three scenic flights operated a
day after this concerned flight on 31 March, are considered
COVID-safe.
There was no exposure between the
two flights and the crew on Thursday and Friday, and the plane was
thoroughly sanitised after passengers and crew cleared the plane on
Thursday night.
The same three pilots operated both
flights - the commercial passenger flight on 31 March and the
scenic flights; however, they safely remained and secured
themselves in the cockpit for the duration of the scenic
flights.
The flight attendants were a new
crew from the previous flight which resulted in the COVID-positive
cases.
Since the start of the pandemic in
2020, Nauru Airlines put in place strict cleaning and disinfection
control measures that is observed for every flight which requires
that the plane is thoroughly sanitised after each flight.
The only change to operations or
movements in the country is that anyone visiting the hospital will
need to wear a face mask. These are provided at the entry.
The RON Hospital now has only one
point of entry and exit. All visitors will be screened and required
to wear a mask.
Do not be alarmed if you see Public
Health conducting random rapid antigen testing in the community.
They have been conducting tests since 2021, well before these
confirmed cases.
More people need to take their
COVID vaccine. Vaccination levels for all age groups needs to be at
least 95 per cent coverage to attain herd immunity and create a
safer COVID environment.
Current vaccine coverage:
- 2nd dose for adults 18 years and
over has reached 96 per cent;
- 3rd (booster) shot for adults has
reached 64 per cent;
- 2nd dose for 12 to 17 year olds
is at 80 per cent;
- The vaccine for ages 5 to 12
years is expected to arrive this month.
President Aingimea says vaccination
is the best defence against serious health complications caused by
COVID-19; adding that Nauru will eventually need a fourth dose of
the vaccine.
Get tested and be reassured that
our community is COVID-safe.
If you have flu-like symptoms or
are concerned about COVID, go and get tested at the hospital.
The Rapid Antigen Tests are nasal
only and the swab is inserted 2cm deep. The results are ready
between 15 to 20 minutes.
The other test is the PCR lab test
and this is usually for when you need to fly overseas and the
country you are flying to require you to provide proof from a lab
test that you do not have COVID.
Call the COVID Hotline, 191, for
enquiries.