+ Worsening COVID-19 situation in Fiji
RNZ reports that Covid-19 infection rates and figures are worsening in Fiji and show zero sign of improvement. Compared to the beginning of July 2021, figures from the beginning of August show huge increases in the rate of infection.
The beginning of July saw 3,503 people battling Covid-19 with a total of 218 deaths over the month compared to skyrocketing August numbers thus far of 6,500 new infections and a registered 57 deaths.
The government's strategy is to continue with vaccination rollout despite reluctance among the Christian and indigenous population. The Health Ministry announced that by 7 August they had administered the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to 87.3% of the Fijian population and administered the second dose to 30.4%.
Fiji currently has 24,070 active cases in isolation as at 8 August, with a quarter of that count at home due to a lack of hospital beds.
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+ Pacific leaders predict 'perfect storm'
The 50th anniversary of the Pacific Island Forum provided a chance for the region’s leaders to celebrate their successes – but also served as another reminder of its fragile state, writes Sam Sachdeva at Newsroom.
Challenges highlighted included Covid, rising seas and the risk of a shrinking membership.
“We live in a world that is in turmoil. We are beset by a runaway climate crisis, a raging Covid-19 pandemic, and a worsening socio-economic crisis – one you might term the perfect storm,” said new Chair and Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.
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+ Samoa's new PM faces big challenges
'Samoa’s new leader, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, might be the country’s first female prime minister, but she is a veteran politician. As she attempts to bring her nation out of its greatest test in the 59 years since independence, she will need all the deep experience she brings to the role, writes The Conversation.
For a background to Fiame's political career and a summary of the key challenges, go here.
'While no deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 in Samoa, vaccinations are vital to keep it that way. Currently, only 18.6% of the population are fully vaccinated and vaccine hesitancy persists.'
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+ Indonesia and PNG discuss shared border
Indonesia and neighbouring Papua New Guinea have recently been discussing the potential reopening of their shared border, reports RNZ. The pandemic saw this shared border officially close early last year, but illegal movements of people to and from Indonesia and PNG across this boundary has continued.
Prime Minister James Marape of PNG met with Indonesia's Ambassador, Andriana Supadny, and came to an agreement that if the border were to reopen, it will require proper policing to ensure that Covid-19 is not spread further as both country's health systems have been stretched with high infection rates making it difficult to contain the virus.
No date has been given at this point for when this international border may officially reopen.
Furthermore, a proposal was made for the two countries to enter into a Free Trade Agreement as a way to strengthen their bilateral tie and boost commerce and trade.
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Useful Links, Webinars & Podcasts
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+ CID Talk: Pacific Human Rights Recording The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) has recently released its 2021 Rights Tracker scores, measuring countries' human rights performance. The 2021 scores, available at RightsTracker.org, show that many Pacific countries are leading the world in human rights performance. There remain challenges in making sure all groups of people are able to thrive, and there are some countries that need to make significant human rights progress. We were joined last week by HRMI team members Anne-Marie Brook, Roi Burnett, and Thalia Kehoe Rowden for a CID Talk to discuss scores for Pacific countries, and upcoming further research on issues important to Pacific communities. You can watch the recording here
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