Samoa's Ministry of Health (M.O.H.) has advised of two more deaths from COVID-19 to increase the total number of fatalities in the country from the pandemic to nine (9).

Brief details of the two fatalities were released as part of a Situational Report on COVID-19 Pandemic, which was distributed to the media at 4.06pm Tuesday by the Government Press Secretariat.

Prior to the report’s circulation on Tuesday afternoon, there were no daily updates on COVID-19 infection rates since last Saturday 9 April, with the death toll at that time from the virus totalling seven (7).

On Tuesday afternoon the M.O.H. uploaded a report to their official Facebook page, which stated that data collected from 2pm 9 April to 2pm 10 April showed there were “no new deaths in the last 24 hours”. 

However, an hour later the report was pulled down from the Ministry’s Facebook page with another report distributed by the Press Secretariat on the same afternoon confirming two (2) COVID-19 related deaths in the past 48 hours.

"Sadly, the Ministry of Health reported two (2) new COVID-19 related deaths in the past 48 hours taking the total number of COVID-19 related deaths to nine (9)," the Ministry’s Situational Report stated. "The deceased were female, one aged 90 and one at 63.  

“Out of respect for the families and relatives, we will not be making any further comments."

According to the summary of the Situational Report which was distributed at 4.06pm Tuesday, health authorities reported 427 new cases in the last 48 hours with a cumulative total of 4,029 since the first community transmission was detected on 17 March 2022.

For cases from the border, both the Faleolo International Airport and Matautu wharf, a total of 63 cases were recorded. There were 15 positive cases from the flight NZ990 on 29 March 2022 with 3 active and 12 historical with the 3 active cases in isolation at Faleolo hospital.

In terms of total number of admissions at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole National Hospital, there has been a total of 123 admissions with 99 patients discharged. There are currently 15 patients in the hospital with 12 in the isolation ward and 3 in the intensive care unit.