COVID-19: Pacific Community Updates

This page will be regularly updated as new information is received

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pacific Community (SPC) Public Health Division is closely monitoring the global and regional situation through its epidemic intelligence system and produces regular epidemiological reports on COVID-19 cases reported in the Pacific.

The COVID-19 (COrona VIrus Disease 2019) outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020. Globally, nations are taking actions to reduce and control the spread of the virus.

For information on global efforts to manage this outbreak, visit the WHO website for current situation reports on COVID 19.

Current Status in the Pacific

18 Pacific Island countries and territories (American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (CNMI), Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna) have reported COVID-19 cases.

For more details and data, please consult the below map and charts.

(*) This includes all cases reported (imported/border cases and locally acquired cases) with a reporting date.

You can print or download the map in PNG, JPEG and PDF format by clicking on the hamburger menu ☰ on the top right corner

Last update on May 18, 2022
Pacific Country		Past 14 days	Past 28 days	Past 42 days	Total cases	Total deaths
AS	American Samoa	120	299	832	6,065	30
CK	Cook Islands	279	1,104	2,633	5,508	1
FJ	Fiji	141	288	341	64,812	862
GU	Guam	329	740	1,149	48,611	361
KI	Kiribati	9	22	30	3,098	13
MH	Marshall Islands	0	2	10	14	0
MP	Northern Mariana Islands	34	94	157	11,315	34
NC	New Caledonia	765	1,057	1,158	61,650	312
NR	Nauru	0	0	0	3	0
NU	Niue	0	1	2	9	0
PF	French Polynesia	84	212	325	73,101	649
PG	Papua New Guinea	568	671	970	44,394	651
PW	Palau	246	657	866	4,936	6
SB	Solomon Islands	2,293	5,737	6,309	18,174	146
TO	Tonga	764	2,047	3,866	11,394	11
VU	Vanuatu	952	2,114	3,736	8,658	14
WF	Wallis and Futuna	0	0	1	455	7
WS	Samoa	1,392	5,257	8,994	12,051	24
Total		7,976	20,302	31,379	374,248	3,121

Note: SPC population estimates of eligible people was used in the computation of vaccination coverage to maximize comparability between countries. The percentage coverage numbers may differ from country reported numbers due to variation in population denominator that was used.

Disclaimer: All data are subject to change, as more information become available.

For further information on specific countries in the Pacific contact the respective government authorities.

Regional Challenges

COVID-19 represents a significant challenge for the region. The Pacific Community (SPC), as the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) lead in public health, has taken all necessary measures to help address the spread of COVID-19. This includes the adoption of a response framework aimed at supporting staff well-being and business continuity while supporting an efficient regional response to the pandemic.

Which are the main risk areas for PICTs?

In most of the PICTs, access to quality health services is limited, due to a lack of infrastructure, equipment, and qualified personnel. In the current situation, this can pose a problem of access to care if the number of infected people increases.
Most PICTs do not have the needed laboratory equipment to analyse the tests on site, which creates difficulties in identifying cases. The test samples have to be sent to other countries for analysis.
Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) are frequented by tourists. This represents a risk due to the movement of people to and from PICTs (although restrictive measures have been put in place); and also a risk for the local economies.

Country support:

Our Public Health Division is supporting Pacific Island countries and territories preparedness and response to COVID-19 through public health surveillance, laboratory, infection prevention and control, risk communication and clinical services.

Partnership:

SPC is part of the World Health Organization (WHO)-led multi-agency Incident Management Team (IMT) and therefore provides support to PICTs in close collaboration with regional partners.