American Samoa

A health worker contracted Covid-19 and then infected his family who are based in Leone who attended several gatherings over the weekend including church.

American Samoa is in Code Red - meaning people must stay home, be vaccinated, wear masks and only essential services are open.

RNZ Pacific Correspondent in Monica Miller said there was a lot of panic buying when people found out Monday night.

179 travellers arrived on the January 6 Hawaiian Airlines flight.

Health officials suspect that some of the travellers may have contracted the omicron variant.

Deputy Director of Health Vesi Fautanu said all were removed from the quarantine sites and taken to the alternate care facility in Tafuna., where they are to be quarantined for an extra 14 days.

He said all are fully vaccinated and are doing well.

The four were killed in front of the StarKist Samoa plant.

The Department of Public Safety has requested the Attorney General's office for autopsies of the four men.

Attorney General Fainuulelei Ala'ilima Utu told KHJ News that based on the request from police, his office has asked LBJ Hospital for autopsies of Faasaulala Ahoni, Taumaoe Filipo, Ierome Vili and Alatina Faleasi.

American Samoa's Director of Health Motusa Tuileama Nua says the traveller was asymptomatic.

Motusa told KHJ News the all other travellers have yielded negative results.

This is the 11th positive covid test result detected in quarantine since American Samoa resumed commercial flights from Honolulu three months ago.

All of the confirmed cases have been asymptomatic.

The December 6 flight was Hawaiian Airlines' last commercial flight for the year.

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KHJ News received confirmation from Director of Health Motusa Tuileama Nua that a traveller yielded a positive result for coronavirus from the tests conducted on the 3rd day after arrival.

The individual was the only person who tested positive among the 262 travellers who were in quarantine.

The individual has been moved to isolation.

The Department of Health has ruled out that the person is a historical case.

As with the first four imported positive coronavirus cases, the person was fully vaccinated and is asymptomatic.

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.

The four are now under the care of state health officials along with one person who may have been exposed to them.

All have been removed from the hotel in Honolulu.

The information was revealed at a press conference with Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga and members of the Covid 19 Task Force, led by Lieutenant Governor Talauega Eleasalo Ale.

Health Director Motusa Tuileama Nua said those who tested positive were members of a family who had travelled from the mainland.

The vessel, Coral Islander, arrived Friday and the Department of Health team boarded to carry out coronavirus tests for the crew.

One of the 20 crew members yielded a positive result for coronavirus.

The Coral Islander sailed from Japan and called into New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Tonga before it arrived in Pago Pago.

An epidemiologist Dr. Aifili John Tufa said the two health department personnel who carried out the tests and the administration pilot who guided the vessel into port were now in isolation.

The container ship, the Fesko Askold, has 17 crew on board.

It arrived in Pago Pago on Sunday afternoon and sailed out of the main harbour at nine yesterday morning.

It remains about eight kilometres from shore.

American Samoa's COVID-19 task force chairman Iulogologo Joseph Pereira said this would allow local authorities to complete their assessment of the situation and come up with a plan to offload and pick up containers.

He said steps had been taken to decontaminate the dock in case of any contamination while the vessel was dockside.

Electors are casting ballots for the gubernatorial race - to elect the governor and lieutenant governor; for the territory's Delegate to the US House of Representatives and 20 or the 21 members of the local House.

The Swains Island seat was already decided in a meeting last week, with incumbent Su'a Alexander Jennings returning for an eighth term.

Prior to polls open today 1,601 absentee ballots had already been. Of these, 892 are outside or off island absentee ballots and 709 are local absentee votes.