The Turaga ni Koro of Somosomo Village on Gau Island in the Lomaiviti Group is putting in the hard yards to disseminate COVID-19 information and the ongoing vaccination program.

Speaking to FBC News, Tomasi Dravikula says they are not letting their guard down and the villagers are strictly adhering to the COVID-19 safety protocols to prevent the virus from entering their community.

He adds the villagers are expecting a team of health officials this Friday that will create awareness on the vaccination program.

Dravikula says villagers are willing to receive the jab.

“I have been informing the villagers about the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. I’m closely liaising with Mata ni Tikina, Provincial Office, and Health Officials about this vaccination program as it is an effective tool in reducing the spread of the virus.”

Dravikula states a few people on the island were swabbed last week but their results have returned negative.

“As a precautionary measure, some people were swabbed last week. This is after the 15 crew members of the South Island Shipping vessel tested positive and these are villagers who are believed to have some sort of contacts with those positive cases.”

Meanwhile, a single case of COVID-19 was identified on Gau Island in the Lomaiviti group last week after being picked up on the Health Ministry’s dashboard.

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