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COVID-19 pandemic in American Samoa

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COVID-19 pandemic in American Samoa
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationAmerican Samoa
First outbreakWuhan, Hubei, China
Arrival dateNovember 9, 2020[1]
(4 years, 1 month, 1 week and 3 days ago)
Confirmed cases8,263[2]
Suspected cases‡0
Recovered8,262
Deaths
34
‡Suspected cases have not been confirmed by laboratory tests as being due to this strain, although some other strains may have been ruled out.

The COVID-19 pandemic in American Samoa is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the unincorporated United States territory of American Samoa on November 9, 2020.[1]

Background

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On January 12, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on December 31, 2019.[3][4] The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[5][6] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[7][5]

Timeline

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Cases
Cases
Deaths
Deaths

March 2020

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On March 6, the American Samoan government introduced new entry restrictions including restricting flight numbers and requiring travelers from Hawaii to spend 14 days in Hawaii and obtain a health clearance from health authorities.[8] On March 11, a government task-force was set up to deal with the virus and quarantining measures have been put in place for incoming visitors.[9] On March 14, half of the 210 passengers on a returning Hawaiian Airlines flight were required to self-quarantine at home.[10] Following a trip to the US mainland, Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga self-isolated as a precautionary measure on March 16.[11]

On March 26, Iulogologo Joseph Pereira, executive assistant to the American Samoa Governor and the head of the territory's coronavirus task force, acknowledged that the territory did not have facilities to test samples of the COVID-19 virus, having to rely on testing facilities in Atlanta, Georgia.[12]

April 2020

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On April 19, United States President Donald Trump declared that a major disaster existed in American Samoa, responding to a request for help from Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga on April 13. This declaration makes the territory eligible for federal assistance to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The US Federal Emergency Management Agency has named its Regional 9 administrator Robert Fenton Junior as the Coordinating Officer for any federal recovery operations in American Samoa.[13]

May 2020

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As of May 6, the US territory had still reported no cases.[14]

November 2020

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On November 9, American Samoa reported its first three cases, who were crew members aboard the container ship Fesco Askold.[1][15]

On November 18, the Department of Health, Port Administration and the Fesco Askold's owners reached an agreement to allow local stevedores to offload and load containers from the container vessel.[16] According to Radio New Zealand, the Fesco Askold was scheduled to leave American Samoa on November 19.[17]

December 2020

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On December 21, American Samoa started its COVID-19 vaccinations by vaccinating its health workers and first responders with the Pfizer vaccine.[18] On the same day, another case was reported as a crew member aboard the container ship Coral Islander tested positive.[19]

March 2021

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By March 6, 2021, nearly 24,000 COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in the territory. According to the Department of Health official's 's Aifili Dr John Tufa, this amounts to roughly 42% of American Samoa's eligible population.[20]

April 2021

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On April 18, 2021, Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga announced a positive case in quarantine on a man repatriated from Hawaii.[21]

August 2021

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On August 13, 2021, the government of American Samoa made vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory for entry into the territory as soon as the FDA issued full approval, which it did for the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on August 23.[22]

September 2021

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A sixth case (commonly reported as the first territorial case in the media, with cargo ship and previous quarantine cases excluded) was found in a group of travelers quarantining at their hotel on September 18.[23] The infected person was a fully vaccinated resident who had returned from travel to Hawaii and the continental United States on the first commercial flight between Honolulu and Page Pago after service was restored.[24] In reaction, the person was taken to another facility to isolate, and flights into the island were suspended indefinitely.[25]

October 2021

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Two more cases (the third counted imported case, and the seventh and eight overall) were reported on October 2. They were fully vaccinated residents quarantining after returning on a flight from Honolulu on September 27. In response, the patients and three close contacts were put in isolation.[26]

December 2021

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In late December 2021 it was reported that a total of 11 imported cases had been detected on the island, with no local transmission.[27]

January 2022

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Six new cases were detected on January 13, 2022, from a Hawaiian Airlines flight.[28]

As of January 31, 2022, 18 imported and no local cases had been found.[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Covid 19 coronavirus: Samoan officials on alert after three sailors test positive". The New Zealand Herald. November 10, 2020. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  2. ^ "Covid-19 Level - American Samoa". Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  3. ^ Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  4. ^ Reynolds, Matt (March 4, 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. March 13, 2020. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  6. ^ "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  7. ^ "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  8. ^ "American Samoa tightens entry requirements over Covid-19". Radio New Zealand. March 6, 2020. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  9. ^ "American Samoa establishes Covid-19 govt taskforce". Radio New Zealand. March 11, 2020. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  10. ^ "Half of flight's passengers to self-quarantine in American Samoa". Radio New Zealand. March 14, 2020. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  11. ^ "Covid-19: American Samoa governor self-isolates as a precaution". Radio New Zealand. March 16, 2020. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  12. ^ Georgiev, Peter; Kaplan, Adiel (March 26, 2020). "American Samoa's coronavirus conundrum: No way to test". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  13. ^ "Trump declares Covid-19 disaster for American Samoa". Radio New Zealand. April 19, 2020. Archived from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Romero, Simon (May 6, 2020). "A Place in the U.S. With No Covid-19? Look to American Samoa". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  15. ^ "Three crewmembers on container vessel test positive for COVID-19". Samoa News. November 9, 2020. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  16. ^ "American Samoa looks to speed up loading of vessel that had Covid cases". Radio New Zealand. November 18, 2020. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  17. ^ "Fesco Askold due to depart American Samoa today". Radio New Zealand. November 19, 2020. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  18. ^ "American Samoa starts Covid-19 vaccinations". Radio New Zealand. December 21, 2020. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  19. ^ "Covid-19 positive sailor in American Samoa port". Radio New Zealand. December 21, 2020. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  20. ^ "Close to 24,000 Covid-19 vaccines rolled out in American Samoa". Radio New Zealand. March 6, 2021. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  21. ^ "1 confirmed case, Gov assures we're safe". Talanei. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  22. ^ Pfizer FDA Update - press release from governor (remove *s from URL)
  23. ^ "American Samoa reports first positive COVID-19 case". CBS News. September 18, 2021. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  24. ^ "The Latest: American Samoa reports first case of coronavirus". AP News. September 17, 2021. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  25. ^ Williams, Jordan (September 17, 2021). "American Samoa reports first case of COVID-19". The Hill. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  26. ^ "American Samoa confirms two Covid-19 cases". RNZ. October 2, 2021. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  27. ^ "Epidemic and emerging disease alerts in the Pacific as of 04 January 2022 - World". ReliefWeb. January 4, 2022. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  28. ^ "In brief: News from around the Pacific". RNZ. January 13, 2022. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  29. ^ "Epidemic and emerging disease alerts in the Pacific as of 1 February 2022 - World". ReliefWeb. February 2022. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
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