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Local Homeland Security gears up for mass vax shutdown

American Samoa Honeland Security logo
reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The local Department of Homeland Security (ASDHS) has requested an inventory of all vehicles for ASG departments, offices and semi-autonomous agencies as the government prepares to launch a “Protect AS One” mass vaccination driver from Dec. 1st through Dec. 3rd from 8a.m to 4p.m.

“The goal of this concerted effort is to achieve [vaccination of] 90% of the total population for American Samoa,” wrote Homeland Security director, Samana Semo Ve’ave’a in a Nov. 10 letter to cabinet members, saying that this monumental undertaking requires all cabinet directors, including authority heads to provide an inventory of each agency’s vehicle fleet, including flat-bed trucks, sports utility vehicles (SUV) and transport vans — with the exception of the Dial-A-Ride vehicle.

The fleet inventory report was to be submitted by Nov. 12th to ASDHS “to assess the operational and logistical needs to support the deployed vaccination teams across the territory,” according to Samana’s memo.

No additional information was available at press time on whether or not all ASG entities have summited a report.

As previously reported by Samoa News, the American Samoa Chamber of Commerce has voiced strong opposition to the planned three-day ASG shutdown, saying that it will negatively impact the private sector and offers solutions, such as conducting mobile vaccination units in schools and villages. (See Samoa News edition Nov. 15th and 16th for details.)