Coronavirus

on half-pay from the 31st of October.

This was announced by the Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare this week and will apply to any employee of the national or provincial governments as well as state owned enterprises.

Mr Sogavare said if by 1 January 2022 they still have not taken up the vaccine their employment will be terminated.

It is the strongest messaging yet to come from the government with so far only 6.4 percent of the eligible population full vaccinated against the virus.

From November, foreign travellers will be allowed to fly into the US if they are fully vaccinated, and undergo testing and contact tracing.

The US has had tough restrictions on travel in place since early last year.

The move answers a major demand from European allies, and means that families and friends separated by the restrictions can be reunited.

White House Covid-19 coordinator Jeff Zients announced the new rules on Monday, saying: "This is based on individuals rather than a country-based approach, so it's a stronger system."

The ministry says it is a scam and police are investigating.

Addington resident Joshua said the two smartly dressed men knocked on the door on Saturday morning.

The pair claimed they were from a Ministry of Health outreach programme, aimed at boosting community vaccination rates.

"They even had a sheet of paper just explaining the vaccine process and that for $100 they were offering an outreach where like a car would come or someone and they could vaccinate you after work hours."

Joshua knew something was off.

The female doctor, (name withheld) became the latest death from Daru due to COVID-19, in less than two weeks. This was revealed in a statement released by the Deputy Controller of the Pandemic, Dr. Esorom Daoni on Monday. 

The deceased female doctor was medevacked to Port Moresby when she suffered severe distress but sadly she succumbed to the disease.  It is reported that Daru Hospital has lost three people to COVID-19 in less than two weeks. 

“These are people who are still in their prime age, but that’s what COVID-19 does,” Dr. Daoni said.

New Caledonia has recorded its 25th death since the delta outbreak of Covid-19 began at the beginning of September.

Health officials are reporting about 5000 people a day are receiving their first jab - with long queues of people waiting to be vaccinated in Noumea and the outer islands.

On the outskirts of Noumea in Ko We Kara, a 'vaccine park' has been set up, and people arrive from six in the morning to register, while in the Loyalty Islands and the North vaccination is possible seven days a week without an appointment at dispensaries.

Lawmakers last month passed legislation making vaccination against Covid-19 compulsory for anyone dealing with the public and individuals deemed to be vulnerable.

They have been given two months to be inoculated or risk a fine of $US1,700 and a suspension of their work contracts.

Legal challenges are being mounted in both French Polynesia and in France's highest court to quash the law adopted in Tahiti.

The new law will come into force on 23 October.

The Moderna vaccine will be used in the rollout that begins on Monday.

Health Secretary James Fong said the Moderna vaccine would be rolled out by school clusters across the country.

Dr Fong said unlike the workforce, vaccination for children would only be conducted with the consent of parents or guardians.

Parents and guardians will need to sign a consent form for their children to receive the vaccine, he said.

He said parents could register their child online through the Vaccine Registry Portal which is available from this weekend.

The positive case was a passenger who arrived on the September 13 flight from Hawaii according to Department of health officials.

The passenger is now in isolation for 14-days for observation and additional tests.

This was confirmed by the territory's acting governor Talauega Eleasalo Ale, during a press conference, where he was surrounded by health officials.

On Thursday, seven deaths from COVID-19 were recorded, the heaviest daily toll since the discovery of the first indigenous cases of the disease on September 6.

It brings the death toll to 24 since September 6, announced by President Louis Mapou, during a joint speech with the French High Commissioner, Patrice Faure.

A total of 211 people are in hospital, including 29 in intensive care.

There are 50 people in intensive care and this is why the state has chartered an aircraft to fly the patients to Paris.

Another two people have died in the past day, and 167 people are hospitalised.

This takes the death toll to 585 since COVID-19 first hit.

The figures have come down over the past week and La Premier Polynesie website reports this has prompted the government to announce that from Monday some restrictions on movement will be lifted.

New Caledonia

Meanwhile in New Caledonia the pandemic is worsening.