Facing its first COVID outbreak, Samoa goes on lockdown

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Samoa will go into lockdown from Saturday as it faces its first outbreak of COVID-19 after a woman who was about to leave the country tested positive during a routine test. Although health authorities have so far found just a single case, it is the first time Samoa has found any unexplained cases in the community and likely points to an undetected outbreak that has been going on for days or even weeks. Samoa and several neighboring Pacific island nations were among the last places on earth to avoid virus outbreaks. But the more transmissible omicron variant has changed the equation. About 65% of all Samoans have had at least two doses of a coronavirus vaccine.