Facing its first virus outbreak, Samoa goes into lockdown

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Samoa will go into lockdown from Saturday as it faces its first outbreak of the coronavirus after a woman who was about to leave the country tested positive during a routine test. 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, and one by one the island nations have succumbed to COVID-19. Over recent weeks, Kiribati, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, the Cook Islands and American Samoa have all experienced their first big outbreaks. About 65% of all Samoans have had at least two doses of a coronavirus vaccine.