All flights in and out of American Samoa have been grounded as the American territory reveals it has detected its first confirmed case of COVID-19.

A statement issued by the American Samoan Department of Health said that the positive case was identified among a group of incoming passengers in hotel quarantine.

“The positive case was identified among the 43 travellers quarantined at Sadies by the Sea hotel in Utueli," the statement said. 

“No positive cases were identified after testing 217 travellers quarantined at the Tradewinds hotel.”

Authorities in the U.S. territory did not identify the gender of the person who contracted the virus, however, local news media Talanei reported that it was a female.

“Following the Territorial Policy for COVID-19 the traveler who tested positive had since been transported to the isolation facility at the Department of Health Alternate Care Facility," health authorities said. 

“The rest of the passengers will remain in quarantine according to protocol. The traveler has [been shown to be] asymptomatic when tested and will continue to be monitored."

The territory's Governor, Lemanu Peleti Mauga, said that the case would put authorities on high alert.

“The discovery of this positive case during quarantine highlights the importance of why our process is critical to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It further highlights the importance of maintaining our current quarantine protocols,” he said 

Local news outlet Talanei reports that the person had tested negative for the three COVID-19 tests before leaving on the 13 September Hawaiian Airlines flight from Honolulu to Pago Pago. 

The individual was in a room by herself at the quarantine site. All those who may have been exposed to the individual are also in quarantine.

Local medical doctor Peka Lauvao said the individual had received two COVID-19 vaccinations  before leaving the territory for the mainland. Dr Lauvao and the Lt. Governor both stressed it’s been known that being fully vaccinated will not prevent a person from getting the virus so this should not come as a surprise.

Dr. Lauvao urged that those who have not been vaccinated or fully completed their vaccinations go in as soon as possible to get their shots and be protected from the virus.

Talanei also reports that guest workers for the StarKist Samoa company who had been scheduled to travel from Apia on Friday were notified last night that their flights were cancelled.

Cannery officials have been told that all flights from Samoa carrying incoming labour to the island had been cancelled. 

The cannery is still trying to bring across the remainder of their 200 guest workers from Samoa who were hired during a recruitment last month.

Talanei reports that as of now 150 workers have arrived in the territory.