Government of the Republic of Nauru 

06/25/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/24/2022 21:00

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE by His Excellency President Lionel Aingimea, MP Friday, 24 June 2022

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE by His Excellency President Lionel Aingimea, MP Friday, 24 June 2022

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

by

His Excellency President Lionel Aingimea, MP

Friday, 24 June 2022

In today's update, His Excellency President Lionel Aingimea says the accumulative statistics as at end of Thursday, 23 June, are as follows:

- 150 new cases

- 1,048 active cases

- 395 tests done yesterday (Thu 23 June)

- 5,085 tests done this outbreak

- 8 admitted to hospital (ACU)

- 0 critical cases

- 0 cases on ventilator

- 135 houses across all districts are in isolation with 1,214 occupants

No new admissions to the Acute Care Unit (ACU). All cases are stable and improving. Twenty per cent, or approximately 1 in 5 people tested are positive.

The numbers isolating at the government transit stations have reduced to 313 with some opting to isolate at home: 200 are isolating at the Budapest and 113 remain at the Menen.

Special Isolation facilities are available for essential workers from health and police.

Drive in testing stations are open at:

- Tigers oval

- JAB oval

- Blues oval

- Naoero Public Health

Vaccination for children 5-11 years old will start Saturday 25 June at the Aiue Boulevard. It will be a drive-through vaccine station.

Children who have not had COVID can be vaccinated immediately. There is no harm and there may be benefit to your child if they receive the vaccine and then get COVID soon after.

If your child has already been infected with COVID during this outbreak, you can wait until late September for the first dose and second dose three to four weeks later, before the end of October.

All children should receive their second dose three to four weeks after the first dose.

The government is working to get more vaccines and is in discussions with the governments of Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

The government is thankful to service providers, Wilsons Security and Canstruct, who have been offering assistance with the supply of masks and Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits.

Many thanks also to Digicel for donating 100 minutes of free calls daily to every phone to enable families and friends to stay in contact during these tough times of isolation and lockdowns. The daily top-up commences tonight at 7pm.

Digicel is also donating four hospital beds, two mattresses and four infusion pumps to the hospital.

There are some changes in the protocol for close contacts. They now only need to self-isolate for two days and if you have a negative RAT test, you may end isolation.

However, you must do the following:

- Keep wearing a mask when outside your home.

- If you develop symptoms, return to isolation for another two days and get tested.

This means for everyone who has been self-isolating as a close contact and it has already been more than two days, if you test negative today, you can end your isolation.

The impact of isolation on essential services is being closely monitored. At this time, all essential services have significant numbers of workers in isolation and unable to work.

This has put a serious strain on all essential services, including the hospital, police, utilities, bank, supermarkets, ports as well as the COVID Taskforce.

The public is asked to be considerate of the people working hard to keep these services operating and to limit demands on these services where possible.

You can help by continuing to wear your mask, stay home and abide by the rules in place to ensure we minimise the spread of COVID-19 so we do not place greater stress on them.

There has been a drop in the number of people getting tested or reporting their test results. It is important that you

get tested if you have not yet tested positive and you have any symptoms or are a close contact.

We need test results to help the Taskforce track where we are at in this outbreak.

Everyone who has conducted home self-tests to please call 192 to register your results, both positive and negative results.

We need everyone to get tested if you have symptoms or are a close contact.

We do not need you to get tested again after you have tested positive.

We are just one week into this outbreak and there are signs that some people are not staying at home and are beginning to leave their homes for non-essential reasons and some have started to gather in groups and socialising.

There is a lot of virus spreading in the community and we need everyone to help slow the spread so we protect the vulnerable.

We emphasise that at this time, everyone is asked to stay at home unless going out for essential work; to buy food and supplies (buy online where you can); get tested or seek medical care; and for emergencies.

President Aingimea thanks everyone who is responding the right way and doing their part. Please continue to follow measures to limit your movement outside your home and to avoid contact with other people.

Always have your mask on when outside your home if you are not being isolated. The safety of your neighbour is in your hands and your safety is in theirs.

If you are positive, at this time we ask you to isolate for 13 days and until you have had three days without symptoms before ending your isolation. You can self-isolate at home.

If you can't self-isolate or don't feel safe, you can request to isolate in Quarantine Accommodation where there are health staff and other support available

At this time, we need everyone to complete the full period of isolation. Even if you are feeling well you can still be contagious and pose a risk to others.

We need you to isolate for 13 days to protect the vulnerable people in our community.

These isolation protocols may change and reduce as we go through the outbreak, but for now, all positive cases should still be strictly isolating and not going out at all.

The delivery of eggs, water and noodles to homes in isolation is underway. Please be patient if you have not received yours. Delivery crews endeavour to expedite deliveries as soon as practicable.

Due to the high number of calls being received, 191 will sometimes be busy. Please keep calling this number and your call will be answered.

192 is a toll-free number to register your self-test results (negative or positive result.

Call 192 to register your self-test results. These calls will not be charged.