COVID infections remain low, just 3 new cases reported from last week

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — For the third week in a row, the number of new positive cases from the community spread of COVID-19 remains at single digits while there were no COVID-19 related deaths, according to the Health Department’s COVID-19 Situational Report for the week of Sept. 26 to Oct. 02.

The report, presented at Tuesday’s COVID-19 Task Force briefing shows that of the 28 individuals tested at DOH clinics as well as LBJ Medical Center, only 3 of them came back positive.

The previous week of Sept. 19 to Sept. 25, shows a total of 95 individuals tested at DOH clinics as well as LBJ, only 3 of them came back positive. The week of Sept. 12 to Sept. 18, shows a total of 1,145 people tested and only nine of them tested positive.

With the 3 new positives, total cumulative COVID-19 count stands at 8,250 since the first community case was recorded on Feb. 28, while the number of active cases has dropped to single-digits also, at only three.

The DoH report also shows that COVID-19 related deaths remain at 34, which has been the case for the past several weeks, since the first death relating to the deadly virus was recorded in March. And the cumulative count of COVID related deaths was also confirmed by the LBJ report to the task force.

LBJ also reports that COVID testing is for only those symptomatic as determined by a physician; masking outside of the hospital is “optional”; masking and social distancing inside the hospital continues and is enforced; and visiting hours are from 10a.m to 11a.m. and 6p.m. to 7p.m.

Meanwhile, the DoH report shows the passenger count for incoming and outgoing Hawaiian Airlines flights from Sept. 19 to Oct. 03: with a total of 1,329 incoming passengers and 1,230 outgoing passengers. Hawaiian Airlines currently operates on Mondays and Thursdays.

No report on inter Samoa flights or the MV Lady Naomi — which is now conducting weekly sails on Thursdays between Apia and Pago Pago, and can take more than 200 passengers per voyage, as of last week.

As previously reported by Samoa News, based on the task force briefings, arrival passengers in the territory are no longer required to undergo COVID testing.

The main focus of the task force briefing this week is DoH’s recommendation to suspend effective Nov. 01, the use of TALOFAPass — which screens entry into the territory. (See yesterday’s Samoa News edition for details.)