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More quarantine space likely to be needed as travel policies not met

Behavioral Health Center
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Lt. Gov. Lemanu Palepoi Sialega Mauga has directed specific ASG offices to prepare the Veterans Affairs facility at Tafuna for use as a quarantine facility as the 12-bed Leone Health Center may run out of space if more people are taken in for quarantine — especially with the Hawaiian Airlines flights this week.

Lemanu, who is also the Governor’s Authorized Representative to the feds on federal disaster issues, gave the verbal directive during the measles and coronavirus, or COVID-19, briefing with ASG officials late Sunday afternoon, where health officials say they are awaiting laboratory results of one suspected measles case.

Part of Health Department’s update presentation includes its screening operations at the Pago Pago International Airport and shows that between Feb. 23- 29, four passengers who transited through Honolulu, arriving on Hawaiian Airlines are being held for the 14-days required quarantine for the coronavirus at the Leone Health Center.

Three of the travelers — all US passport holders — arrived last Thursday night from Honolulu. These individuals included one who traveled through New Zealand, where its first coronavirus case was confirmed late last week and the other two were returning from Kuwait and France — both countries also with confirmed cases.  

The fourth person was a returning local resident, who traveled to South Korea, and returned more than a week ago.

At the cabinet briefing meeting, Health director Motusa Tuileama Nua said none of the four individuals have any symptoms of the coronavirus, but are being quarantined for 14-days, as required under current policy. All four were to have stayed in Hawaii for 14-days before entering the territory, but the airline didn’t comply with this requirement before boarding these passengers.

Motusa also said that among the six people quarantined at Leone Health Center, is a couple, who didn’t meet the quarantine requirement for measles and they transited through Samoa.

For this couple, one is a US  passport holder and the other a Samoa citizen, who is a legal-local resident.

With only 12-bed spaces at the Leone Health Center, Motusa said DoH will be looking at another facility for quarantine, especially if there are more transiting through Honolulu and arriving on Hawaiian Airlines without meeting travel policies.

Lemanu asked if DoH has identified any other facility option, to which Motusa said it’s the Veterans Affairs Center at Tafuna industrial Park. However, he said there is additional space at the Leone Center that could fit additional beds.

Lemanu directed certain ASG offices to start cleaning up and preparing the Veterans Affairs center so that there is sufficient space to quarantine passengers in the event there will be more coming off Hawaiian Air’s flight last night and later this week.

Motusa also shared ongoing challenges faced by DoH dealing with the coronavirus. Among them is the world shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies — such as masks, gloves, gowns etc.

Lemanu asked if the PPE supplies also include items for the public, to which Motusa said their presentation covers only DoH, while LBJ has their own protocol on such matters, and DoH doesn't have PPE supplies for the public.

He said DoH is also looking to its federal partners for some assistance.

Another challenge faced by DoH at the Tafuna airport is that airlines’ “non-compliance” with local travel advisories, with the last one dated Feb. 7th. He said travelers arrive here without the required three-day health clearance or didn’t stay in Samoa or Hawai’i for 14-days if the traveler had been to a country with a confirmed COVID-19 case.

Motusa also shared with the briefing DoH’s ongoing recommendations, especially for the coronavirus, which has no cure or vaccine. And that is “self-defense” against the spread of the virus — just like the flu — “encourage proper hygiene territory-wide - i.e. proper hand washing.”

DoH’s Dr. Saipale Fuimaono, who provided an update briefing on the virus based on data as of Sunday from the World Health Organization, explained the importance of proper hygiene about which DoH has given out public awareness messages on social media as well as news media.  

Samoa News notes that this is the same message put out by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and WHO.

The CDC’s website on American Samoa Traveler View states that American Samoa requires non-US passport holders to spend at least 14 days in Hawai’i before entering the territory to prevent the spread of coronavirus. It also provides local entry requirements for measles.

Lemanu asked cabinet members who attended the briefing to look at making sure that hand sanitizers are available at all schools and also check with local stores about the availability of hand sanitizers and face masks — which reports from the U.S. indicate are in short supply.

MEASLES UPDATE

The DoH presentation shows that as of Mar. 1st, American Samoa had only 16 laboratory confirmed measles cases and all these patients have recovered well.

However, officials are awaiting results of a sample sent to the Hawaii state laboratory for testing for a 7-month old male infant, who was taken to the LBJ Medical Center emergency room on Feb. 22nd.

DoH also provided an update of its overall MMR coverage for daycare centers and schools — both public and private — including ECEs. Based on the latest data, DoH’s immunization territory-wide has done well.
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or the first MMR shot, he said 99.9% of children 12 months and older have gotten their first MMR shot, leaving 15 of them — or 0.1% — needing to get immunized.

For MMR one and two, 99.5% of students 4 years and older have completed both doses, leaving 62 students needing their shots.

DoH has recommended for American Samoa to continue current travel restrictions due to the measles outbreak.