The number of Samoans who now been fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus with the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine has now surpassed 25,000.

Recent figures issued by the Ministry of Health (M.O.H) on Monday show that the number of people that have been fully vaccinated in Samoa has now reached 25,401 which is 20.8 per cent of the eligible population vaccinated.

Of the 25,401 people that have been fully vaccinated, 13,215 are males and 12,186 are females.

Figures issued on Monday also reveal that 67,014 people in the country have received the first dose of the vaccine, which is 55 per cent of the eligible population vaccinated.

Last week the Australian government provided a further 30,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Samoa.

Australian High Commissioner to Australia, Emily Luck, said in a statement issued late April this year that they marked the historic moment when Samoa joined the global roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines shipped across the world through the COVAX Facility, which is a multilateral initiative aimed at achieving equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

A statement issued earlier this week by the Australian High Commission said Australia is proud to partner with Samoa and revealed the arrival of 30,000 Australian-manufactured AstraZeneca doses on Monday.

The vaccines’ recent delivery to Samoa is part of Australia’s commitment to share up to 15 million COVID-19 vaccine doses with its closest partners in the Pacific and Timor-Leste by mid-2022.

Samoa started its vaccination roll out in April this year after receiving 24,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through the World Health Organisation-supported COVAX Facility.

Samoa remains COVID-19-free however the M.O.H. remains on high alert and is taking precautionary measures for the safety and wellbeing of its people.

Despite Samoa being COVID-19 free, the National Emergency Operation Centre and the Health Ministry remain on alert to ensure preventative measures are upheld for the safety of the nation.   

The Ministry continues to urge people to get their immunisation and noting that neighbouring islands in the region continue to battle local outbreaks of the virus.

Those who will not be vaccinated include: women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, people who are bedridden, less than 18 years old and those over 85 years old (optional).

Ministry guidelines state that people eligible for vaccination include those who are 18 years and older and people who are most at-risk of complications arising from COVID-19 infections. These include people living with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, respiratory illnesses, H.I.V., cancer, kidney diseases, tuberculosis, and rheumatic heart disease.

The list also prohibits those with a high fever (above or equal to 38 degrees), weak immune systems, including those who have been on steroids for a long time, and those receiving active cancer treatment, and people with bleeding disorders, and a known history of severe allergic reactions to vaccines including skin rash, swelling of the throat and eyes and breathing difficulty.