On August 8th 2022, RMI President H.E. David Kabua confirmed the first cases of community transmission of COVID19 in Majuro. It is not clear the source of contact. RMI borders have been closed since March 2020 and were expected to reopen in October of this year. Protocols still require 10 days of quarantine before re-entering the country. The six people who tested positive Monday also had “no travel history, no contact with anyone who was in quarantine,” said Health Secretary Jack Niedenthal. As of end of day August 10th, there are now 50+ positive cases and 1 death.
Pohnpei and Kosrae, in the Federated States of Micronesia, have also been dealing with community spread for three weeks now since the first confirmed cases found July 17th 2022. They have more than 7000 cases, 75 recovered hospitalizations and 18 deaths as of August 9th 2022. US CDC officials reported that Kosrae broke world COVID-19 records last week for cases per day per million residents in part due to zero prior natural immunity but also the exceptional recording of data through access to tests and preventive. US CDC reported that the “burn of BA.5 was three times hotter than estimated (BA.2)…and ended three times sooner than projected.” Both Pohnpei and Kosrae saw enormous community spread almost immediately, with test positivity rates at sometimes more than 90%, followed by a sudden and sharp decline in new cases. FSM press secretary observed that businesses that were closed are open again, including banking institutions, the FSM Post Office in Pohnpei (now on regular hours again), restaurants, and construction entities.
The RMI Ministry of Health and Human Services announced on August 9th the first death in the country from COVID19. They expressed condolences today to the family. The young man had been sick for the past week and was pronounced dead upon arrival to the hospital where they determined he had COVID19. MoHHS encourages the “community to treat each other with kindness and respect as we navigate this health challenge together.”
RMI Minister of Health Jack Niedenthal shared that he tested positive yesterday making 11 confirmed cases yesterday. He believes he did not expose his family being able to test himself before going home. He says that he received a booster vaccination 2 weeks ago and he is receiving therapeutics (Paxlovid). He stressed the importance of both to minimize the overall impact of covid in Pacific nations. Vaccinations and boosters are available for those who test negative and treatments like Paxlovid for those who have co-morbidities and test positive for COVID19.
The RMI Office of the Chief Secretary said that the start of the new school year, which opened Monday at some public schools and scheduled to open later this week in private schools, will now be postponed for two months. A mask mandate is in effect for the next three months, and the government has halted travel by plane or ship to outer islands. Businesses and government offices will continue as usual, but hospital services will be modified.
The Ministry of Health already had prepared plans for 6 Test and Treat Sites when it became necessary. Three test and treat sites additional to the hospital were set up over night at Marshall Islands High School, Delap Elementary School, and the Tennis Courts. Through American Rescue Plan Act funds, the USAID Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) project recently supported the Ministry of Health and Human Services (MOHHS) to upgrade the Marshall Islands Health Information System (mHIS) and Telehealth Program. The support included the donation of over 100 computers and tablets, with additional equipment donations planned throughout 2022. This will help MOHSS collect and analyze data on critical COVID-19 and health indicators and we hope minimize the impact of COVID19 in aelōn̄ kein ad.
Note: Chikin Melele has been sourcing information about community transmission in the Federated States of Micronesia and Marshall Islands from several reliable sources including press releases from the FSM government, the public social media posts of RMI Minister of Health Jack Niedenthal, official reports from various departments posted on social media including the RMI Consulate-Arkansas, as well as personal communications from contacts in Majuro.