Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — “American Samoa is still in the very early stages of the outbreak” of the COVID-19 community spread, said US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Epidemiologist, Dr. Thane Hancock during last Friday’s virtual news conference.

“And there are going to be more cases as we move forward,” he said, and noted that although its still early in the surge, American Samoa “already has many of these key interventions in place to really limit the impact of COVID-19 in your community.

Dr. Hancock also said that the federal team is very impressed with the territory’s work to prepare in response and that the territory “is on the right track”.

“Even though it’s early, you already have many of these key interventions in place to really limit the impact of COVID-19 in your community,” he said, and points out that the territory is ahead of its response compared to other U.S. Pacific island communities when they started to respond.

Dr. Hancock said he and his colleague, CDC Epidemiologist Dr. Richard Brostrom have been to other U.S. Pacific affiliated states — such as Palau — helping to respond to these surges.

And “we have both been very impressed” that the local Health Department, LBJ Medical Center, ASG and the “entire community’s ability to adapt and change your response to the new challenges of the omicron variant.”

“In fact, American Samoa is really the global leader in implementing some of these cutting edge interventions that our colleagues” from the U.S Health and Human Service and the Federal Emergency Management “have helped bring to bear here in American Samoa to really fight that omicron variant.”

For the “interventions”, he said, “two things” are really required to make it work well.

“Those two things, require the community of American Samoa to take quick action now to really drive those interventions and make them work,” he said.

The first one, is the booster shot.  Dr. Hancock urged the community to get fully vaccinated and “get boosted”.

The second one, he explained is that, if an individual develops symptoms of COVID, go to one of the testing and therapeutic centers — set up by LBJ and DOH —  right away.

“Its not something that you want to wait til it’s too late. You have to go right away if you develop symptoms to get tested and potentially get these life saving therapies,” he said.

Dr. Hancock elaborated further on the importance on booster shot once a person is fully vaccinated.

He explained that they have learned from Palau as well as a lot of scientific studies around the world that if a person is fully vaccinated and boosted, the chance of developing COVID-19 that gets really bad, and puts a person in the hospital, “is very reduced if you’re boosted”.

“In fact, the study shows that people who are boosted are 97 times less likely of getting hospitalized compared to people who are unvaccinated,” Dr. Hancock pointed out.

He reiterated the message of getting the booster shot  —“especially those who are over the age of 40, people who may be overweight, those with other health conditions — such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease — if you have any of those and not boosted, get boosted now. And that really helps reduce the impact of COVID-19 in American Samoa.”

Dr. Brostrom echoed the same message urging the residents to get tested and noted that there are new COVID-19 treatments and medication on island to assist the community.

And he “reassured the community that the surge, which is still in its early phases, will of course eventually end. And this won’t go on that long, usually six weeks or eight weeks — is what we’ve seen in the other Pacific islands.”

While the surge is here, he said it’s “stressful” to DoH, LBJ, the government and also families.

He observed that the territory’s “Protect As One” vaccination campaign slogan is “very fitting for this outbreak”.

In his final remarks, Dr. Hancock “re-emphasized” the importance to being fully vaccinated and getting boosted. And if the person develops symptoms of COVID, “get tested right away and receive the treatment”.

“Once again, American Samoa has done amazingly well in adjusting their response, to respond to this challenge. We’re so impressed with how quickly American Samoa applied the lessons from other islands and really pivoted the response to this challenge of omicron,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ofu island resident, William Thompson has requested through the two CDC physicians that the local government find a way to make sure that “we, the residents of all 3 islands of Manu’a — Ofu, Olosega and Ta’u — are provided the option to get fully vaccinated and boosted; and if you feel sick, get tested and treated, do not wait” — as emphasized during the news conference.

In his email request, shared with the local media, Thompson explained that he has been feeling the COVID-19 symptoms and has been wanting to get tested, but there has not ever been ONE COVID test done in Manu’a.

He said the vaccine that arrived on Ta’u Island last week has not traveled over to the islands of Ofu and Olosega. And residents of Manu’a have not been tested for COVID.

“Your praise in the good work that you have seen in regards to the response of the local government to the MAJORITY of American Samoa is heart warming. I would like to do my part,” Thompson wrote in his email over the weekend to the CDC physicians. “Please help ALL of American Samoa. I hope that it will not be too late.”