It could be 10 to 20 working days before Samoa knows whether or not it has its first case of Covid-19.
A government statement last night said an Aucklander has been placed in isolation at Apia’s Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital, showing symptoms of the coronavirus.
According to Samoa’s Health Ministry this is the country’s first suspected case of coronavirus.
It says the person arrived in Samoa on a flight from New Zealand on Wednesday, March 11th.
According to reports the person flew to Samoa for a family occasion but was presented at the hospital after experiencing flu-like symptoms for two days.
The patient is currently in stable condition and samples have been sent to Australia for Covid-19 testing.
The Ministry is undertaking contact tracing of all possible contacts.
