COVID-19 has been recognized as a pandemic since March 2020, and this date marks the date when the disease finally became a worldwide problem. However, the fact that the epidemic was worldwide did not mean that it was everywhere. There were a few countries that lasted surprisingly long without a single case.
As you might expect, the definition of “surprisingly long time” means so far. The small island country of Tonga, located approximately 2,000 kilometers northeast of New Zealand and 5,000 kilometers southwest of Hawaii, reported its first case of COVID-19 the other day, thus leaving only Kiribati and Tuvalu in the group of lucky countries that have avoided the virus so far.
Like many countries, travelers arriving in Tonga are required to remain in quarantine for a period of time after entering the country. This first and so far only case of COVID-19 on the island also illustrates why this quarantine is important. The Prime Minister of the country, Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa, announced in a statement that the disease was seen in a patient who came on a plane from Christchurch, New Zealand, and that the quarantine period did not give a positive test until the day before.
If this passenger had not been caught by the quarantine restrictions, the impact could have been devastating. Fiji, another island nation less than 800 kilometers from Tonga, can be given as an example. At the end of March 2021, the population of 900,000 had experienced just two deaths from COVID-19 and just 70 cases in total. But in April, the Delta variant reached the islands, infecting more than 50,000 people and killing at least 673 people.
In response, Fiji has launched a massive vaccination campaign, and now 70 percent of the population is at least partially vaccinated. But Tonga’s vaccination rate is much lower: less than half of Tongans have been vaccinated, and the country is dependent on the COVAX program and donations from wealthier countries such as New Zealand.
Immunologist Dr. Dianne Sika-Paotonu told New Zealand news source Stuff that the case was “sad.” If not taken up, the potential consequences for the Tongan nation could be disastrous.”
The fact that the infection has spread to the country is an important reminder that we should pay attention while the epidemic continues at full speed. The city of Christchurch had not seen any cases of COVID-19 for months before thanks to New Zealand’s swift and determined epidemic measures, and the passenger who unwittingly brought the virus to Tonga had received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine and tested negative before the flight.
The plane was on its way to Tonga when news broke that four cases had been reported in the city. “There’s probably more Covid-19 in the Christchurch community than is currently reflected,” infected passenger Sika-Paotonu told Stuff.
Director of the Tongan Ministry of Health, Dr. Siale ‘Akau’ola said that while Tonga’s first COVID-19 patient is recovering, all medical staff, police officers and airport personnel, as well as the other 214 passengers, are living in quarantine until the potential for infection has passed. Citizens were advised to follow the announcements to be made later and to comply with social distancing and curfews, in the speech made by the prime minister at the weekend.
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