Chuuk Adapts to Life after COVID-19 Resuming Goodwill Games and Holiday Celebrations

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Sasa celebrates her win for Tonowas at the Goodwill Games in Chuuk rescheduled to November 2022.

Posted By: Melanie Carbine January 17, 2023

With quarantine protocols still in place through the end of October, the school year had just started in Chuuk and the State Government was working to complete renovations on the main hospital in Weno.  However, that was quickly curtailed with the Chuuk State and FSM Government announced confirmed community transmission of COVID-19 in Chuuk, the last island state to be touched by the coronavirus that had by this point impacted every other country in the world.  Chuuk cancelled their September Goodwill Games and temporarily closed schools.  Border restrictions were lifted September 28 to allow external medical assistance to arrive.  With five test to treat centers on Weno, Chuuk dealt with 12, 215 positive cases from September 24 – October 6, 2022.  Almost half of those people (5,188) with high risk or co-morbidities received antiviral medications to reduce the severity of symptoms.  45 people required hospitalization and 27 people, ages ranging from 9 – 75 years, all with multiple co-morbidities, died during the initial wave of transmission. 

The first covid-related death was reported dead on arrival, September 27, 2022.  The deaths increased over the following three weeks.  11 total deaths on October 3, two more the next day, and two more the next day.  October 6, with 16 total deaths, the number of positive cases in Weno began to drop off.  A public health mission boat reached Pisemwar and Losap on October 6 and treated the outbreak which started the week before.  The mission continued on to the Mortlock and Hall Islands led by Dr. Dorina Fred another mission to the Northwest outer islands led by Dr. Rokotaro Tuisalala implemented the Chuuk State vaccination program and distributed supplies.  By October 11, with a total of 22 deaths, the average number of new cases in Weno finally came down to 45 positive tests.  The last covid-related deaths were reported October 18, total: 24.  Chuuk reduced the number of test to treat sites on October 21 and resumed regular clinic hours at the hospital in Weno.   The FSM was then able to report 0 new cases in any of its four island states.

As it stands now, there have been a cumulative 22,069 cases in the FSM and 58 deaths.  In Chuuk, 12,215 people tested positive for the virus, meaning 34% of the state’s population of 18,651 people.  Most cases were concentrated in Northern Namoenas with 5,098 people (56%), 195 cases in Northwest (or 10%) and 245 people in the Mortlocks (8%).  While more than double the people in Chuuk tested positive for the virus compared to Pohnpei, they reported a similar number of total deaths.  Chuuk reported 24 total deaths.  Pohnpei (population 35,981) reported 5,817 positive cases and 23 total deaths.  With much small island populations reported 1113 cases and 3 deaths in Kosrae (population 6, 616) and 3, 068 cases and 5 deaths in Yap (population 7,371).

The last couple of months, life has mostly gone back to normal as you can see in the gallery. All photos are from the Chuuk State Government official Facebook page. 

  • Mwan Elementary school students visited the Governor and Lt. Governor Office (November 30 2022).
  • Bishop Julio Angkel opened the new construction of St. Peter & Paul Church in  Sannukan, Uman Fonuweisom (November 26, 2022).
  • People came out for the Goodwill Games postponed from September. Sasa from Tonowas (left) and Emson from Mortlocks (right) came in first for the 100 meter dash at the Chuuk Goodwill Games (November 24, 2022).
  • And, everyone enjoyed the Christmas and New Year’s Parade in Weno (December 31, 2022).

You can find the FSM and Chuuk COVID Situation Reports from September 27 through October 27, 2022 posted in No Shore Left Untouched: Covid-19 Transmission in Chuuk.