SUVA, Nov. 29 — A total of 60 percent of eligible people aged 12 and above in the South Pacific island nation of Tonga are now fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
According to Matangi Tonga Online, Tonga’s news website, Tonga’s Ministry of Health confirmed on Monday that about 46,239 people of the island nation’s eligible population of 76,911 are fully inoculated for COVID-19, while 73,295 (95 percent) have received their first dose.
As an island nation with a population of more than 100,000, Tonga aims to fully vaccinate 70 percent of its population by the end of this year.
And once the 70 percent target is reached, the Tongan government has said it will start repatriation flights from countries that have COVID-19 community transmission.
Tonga’s first confirmed COVID-19 case, which is fully vaccinated, is among 215 passengers repatriated from Christchurch, a city in New Zealand on Oct. 27, this year.
Tonga declared a health state of emergency in March last year and it renewed the measure for another month, starting from Nov. 22 to Dec. 20 this year. – XINHUA
