Many Pacific island nations kept Covid on the sidelines. But attempts to reopen it are fraught with danger

Andrew Preston, a professor of microbial pathogenesis at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, told CNBC that strategies without Covid are unsustainable, in part because of the emergence of omicron.

“The scenario where zero Covid had the most credibility was to maintain it, while very high levels of immunity were built through vaccination,” he said. “However, for most countries, it has proved very difficult to achieve a high enough level of vaccination to prevent any spread of the imported case, and now it seems that the ability of omicron to re-infect and infect vaccinated is not the beginning. as a long-term policy. “

Zero-Covid strategies have also caused a major economic tax on many islands, putting pressure on governments to increase vaccination so that borders can be safely reopened.

According to an IMF report published in October, GDP in the Pacific Islands fell by 3.7% in 2020, with tourism-dependent countries – Fiji, Palau, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu – expected to record 6 in 2021, 5% drop in real GDP. .

The Cook Islands, which are politically linked to New Zealand, currently have no cases of the virus. Her strategy to respond to Covid is linked to the situation in New Zealand, where 80 new cases were recorded on Monday.

Some restrictions apply, including restrictions on 100 people at social gatherings and enforcing social distancing in restaurants and bars. Covering the face is recommended, but not mandatory.

Last week, the Cook Islands took steps to reopen its borders. All incoming visitors must travel through New Zealand, where they must spend 10 full days before leaving for the Cook Islands. Visitors must also provide evidence of Covid vaccination and a negative PCR test.

In a statement on December 16, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown said the “best weapons” the country had at the time of the pandemic were “isolation and closed borders, and now mass vaccination.”

“Over the last two years, we’ve worked very, very hard to maintain our status without Covid, and that’s it [travel] regulations and our constant efforts to vaccinate all our eligible persons is a continuation of this, ”he added.

According to official figures, 96 per cent of the eligible population – over the age of 12 – have been fully vaccinated against Covid in the Cook Islands. Around 70% population received a booster dose.

With the reopening of the world, the Cook Islands government will hope to recoup some of the significant economic losses the country has suffered as a result of the pandemic. The Asian Development Bank estimates that the loss of the Cook Islands’ GDP due to the crisis could be as high as 32%.

For other Pacific island nations, the borders remain closed as authorities work to catch up with the success of the Cook Islands vaccination. Reopening too soon could pose a major risk to public health, given that populations are likely to have little or no immunity from infection, especially to the omicron version.

Samoa and Tonga have vaccinated about 60% of their population as a whole, according to Our World and Data, while just over half of people living in Wallis and Futuna have received two doses. Meanwhile, in Kiribati, about one-third of the population is fully vaccinated.

In some Pacific island countries, the risk is also increased by wider health aspects. In Samoa, for example, Covid poses a high risk to the majority of the population due to high rates of non-communicable diseases, which the WHO says account for about 68% of premature deaths in the country.

Berlin Kafoa, director of the public health department at the Pacific Community, told CNBC that there is “huge concern” about the possibility of severe Covid epidemics as Pacific island nations reopen their borders.

“The consequences are dire, as Covid-19 outbreaks will flood fragile health systems if [these countries] they have no help now, “he said in an email, adding that the WHO and other UN agencies are working with Pacific Island governments to prepare each country.