Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures implemented by healthcare facilities play an important role in controlling the transmission of COVID-19, other infectious diseases and healthcare associated infections including antimicrobial resistance.
A two-day IPC workshop was held earlier this month with health care workers at the Prince Ngu Hospital in Vava’u Tonga.
The COVID pandemic has created many challenges to Pacific health systems, among these is increasing demand for expanding for testing. Although testing facilities do exist in the Pacific, most were designed to screen primarily for TB. As a result, there is pressing need to repurpose these facilities or add new capacity to meet the demands COVID has created.
The Pacific Community (SPC) is working with Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) to roll out their COVID-19 vaccination plans. So far COVID-19 vaccine has been administered in 12 PICTS.
Building a fairer, healthier world in the Pacific region means ensuring everyone has access to COVID-19 vaccines.
As of 30 March 2021 a little over 260k doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in 12 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (Am. Samoa, Fiji, Fr. Polynesia, Guam, Marshall Ils, FSM, New Caledonia, Mariana Ils, Palau, PNG, Solomon Islands, Wallis & Futuna).
Note: only includes publicly available data.
The coronavirus can contaminate surfaces for a few hours or even up to several days. The virus can then transfer to your hands and to your face. To help reduce the spread of coronavirus, wash your hands regularly with water and soap, disinfect and clean shared surfaces and equipment regularly.
Prevent the spread of COVID-19 by practicing simple hygiene measures, including social distancing, covering your mouth when you cough and sneeze, and wearing masks when needed.
Clean hands save lives! Help stop the spread of COVID-19 & other infectious viruses by washing your hands regularly and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Though less affected than some regions of the world, the Pacific has not been spared from COVID-19. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pacific Community (SPC)’s Public Health Division has been closely monitoring the global and regional situation through its epidemic intelligence system and has been gathering data and producing weekly epidemiological reports on the COVID-19 cases reported in the Pacific.
1%: The case fatality ratio* of COVID-19 in the Pacific Islands for the period March 2020 to January 2021 (* this is the proportion of people who die among all individuals diagnosed with the disease).
