More COVID-19 vaccines arrive

With the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. receiving 17,100 more COVID-19 vaccine doses last Friday, April 2, the CNMI will be getting additional support from South Korea to help with the community-based testing.

Speaking at the radio news briefing last Thursday, CHCC chief executive officer Esther Muña said the SolGent Co. team from South Korea will be arriving on April 20 to help with the CBT.

Although the CNMI has already resumed its CBT at the Kanoa Resort in Susupe, Muña says a limited number of people are getting tested because CHCC is still continuing with its on-arrival and fifth-day testing.

With the additional 17,100 COVID-19 vaccine doses that CHCC received last Friday, this means 8,550 individuals will be vaccinated (since it will require two shots of the vaccine to ensure full vaccination). It was not immediately learned which brand of vaccines are: Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna Inc.

This comes as even more vaccines are slated for the CNMI. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine data, the CNMI is set to receive 1,600 more of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen one-shot doses today.

According to Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-Saipan), this allocation is a 300% increase over last week’s allocation. The Janssen vaccine allocation overall total for the CNMI is 2,600.

For those interested in getting the vaccine, CHCC recommends registering on vaccinatecnmi.com or over the phone by calling (670) 682-7468. On-site registration is also available at the IT&E Chalan Laulau for future dates for those 16-plus or older on Saipan who aren’t available to register online or over the phone.

COVID-19 in Guam

The Joint Information Center on Guam reported that the Department of Public Health and Social Services announced two late reportings of COVID-19-related deaths last April 2, bringing the island’s cumulative total to 136.

According to JIC, the 135th COVID-19-related fatality occurred on Sept. 23, 2020. JIC said the patient was a 51-year-old female with underlying health conditions. She was admitted to the U.S. Naval Hospital Guam on Aug. 28, 2020, and tested positive upon admission.

The second late reported death, which is the 136th COVID-19-related fatality, occurred last Jan. 11, 2021. The patient was an 80-year-old female with underlying health conditions. JIC said she was admitted to the Guam Memorial Hospital on Nov. 29, 2020, and tested positive upon admission.

The patient passed away at home after being discharged from GMH.