Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — While the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases from several villages in Tutuila continue to increase from day to day, concerned members of the community are calling out to the Department of Health (DoH) director to conduct a full internal investigation on what actually happened with the DoH employee who started the territory’s community transmission of COVID-19.

Samoa News has received phone calls from members of the public including two high government officials asking for MotusaTuileama Nua to conduct a full internal investigation into this matter to determine what actually happened and whether the DoH employee was released based on DoH protocol and procedures.

“Somebody needs to be held accountable for what happened, especially the matter regarding the release of this employee back to her family and now, many families have suffered because of this employee,” one caller said.

Another caller said, “With over 6 million people around the globe dead from Coronavirus including 900,000 in the US, our government must take this deadly virus very seriously, because it will impact every family on our small tiny island.”

A high ranking government official said he also wants the Administration to conduct a thorough and complete investigation regarding this matter because he’s also confused on what actually happened and how this DoH employee was released to go home.

“DoH reveals little about the employee who tested positive for Coronavirus,” the caller said.

However, the caller said, “The issue is not about the DoH employee, I salute her for fulfilling her responsibility on that day, however, I’m questioning the protocol and the procedure DoH had in place when this employee tested positive and later was released to go home.”

Another caller who only identified herself as a retired teacher believes that the Task Force and the Administration need to get to the bottom of this matter and find out who was at fault in the first place.

“Our whole island is affected — people are afraid and family life is not the same anymore because of the community spread of this deadly virus,” the retired teacher said.

According to this caller, the only information she received after listening to local media was that the DoH employee in question had worked in the January 27 quarantine operation and tested negative for all tests during that operation.

The employee then spent 10 days in isolation before being released on Feb. 13 and later was called back in to work on the quarantine for the Feb. 17th flight, and during the testing on Monday, Feb. 21st this employee tested positive.

“My question is how did this employee get infected? Is this a cover up story or something went wrong in the first place?” the retired teacher asked, adding that the Fono needs to launch an investigation regarding this issue, because she has a feeling that someone dropped the ball and everyone is trying to hide the truth.

One of the callers said everyone needs to get fully vaccinated and booster shots to protect themselves, their families, friends and the whole community.

“Remember when Samoa had their measles outbreak? It spread like wildfire and more than 80 children died. Every life is precious,” he said.

“I think this is not the right time to point fingers or to be embarrassed because it’s not your fault if you tested positive. So, if you tested positive, please take the initiative to get on the phone or social media to let the community know. It’s not your fault. I fear our leaders are not 100% prepared to handle this problem but let us work together to prevent this virus from spreading into our community.”

One of the callers was a passenger from the Jan. 27 Hawaiian Airlines flight. She pointed out that there’s nothing our government can do because the virus is already spreading in the community.

“I don’t think an internal investigation is needed at this critical time in our community. The virus is spreading in our community and it’s spreading so fast. Let’s hold back on our emotions and personal opinion but let us come together as one family and work together to prevent the virus from continuing to spread,” she said.

A 52-year-old man from Tafuna added his opinion to the issue. He was one of the passengers from the Jan. 27th HA flight, who tested positive on arrival and later tested negative before being released to go home.

He said there was a two- year period that was given to our people to get prepared for the virus to arrive, and while many took advantage of the opportunity — others refused to get vaccinated.

“Look what is happening to our people, they’re now panicking and fearful because they did not get fully vaccinated. The vaccination sites are over-crowded and people are complaining, while our leaders, sons and daughters are doing their best to serve us,” the caller said.

He said an investigation needs to be carried out to find out how the problem occurred, however, he believes that this is not the time for the investigation.

“This is the time for all of us to come together and do whatever we can do to prevent the virus from continuing to spread to our community and to our families by getting fully vaccinated and complying with the restrictions our leaders has given out.”

Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga announced this week that Code Red will be extended for another week, however certain restrictions will be relaxed. He said the virus is spreading but it is evident that God has not forsaken American Samoa.

He urged residents to get tested for COVID-19 and get vaccinated and boosted.

For the first time, Lemanu addressed those who are refusing to vaccinate, saying, “While you have the right to choose, my question is where is the love? Love for your children and love for your family and the territory.”

BACKGROUND

It was on Monday night, Feb. 21 around 10pm when the Department of Health confirmed that there had been community transmission of the Coronavirus in American Samoa. The announcement was aired on KVZK-TV.

According to the Health Director, Motusa Tuileama Nua during one of the Task Force press conferences with members of he local media last month to discuss this issue, the DoH staffer had worked on the January 27th Hawaiian Airlines flight quarantine operation and during testing of all quarantine staff for the travelers from that week’s flight who were in quarantine, the employee yielded a positive result.

The employee had spent ten days in isolation and had tested negative for all previous tests during the January 27 quarantine flight operation.

Motusa said after the employee tested positive they tested the employee’s family members and out of 8 members 7 were positive.

He said all were fully vaccinated.

When asked about the possibility that family members may have exposed church members to the virus, Motusa said they were conducting contact tracing at their clinics in Leone, and Amouli and would also set up vaccination sites around the island.

A member of the church the family of the positive DoH employee attends said there was a church gathering over that weekend, and that the employee and her family attended — with church members coming into contact with the DoH employee’s family members.