Pacific / Cook Islands

Cook Islands government confirms Covid-19 case in MIQ

12:16 pm on 4 December 2021

A 10-year-old boy has tested positive for Covid-19 at a MIQ facility on Rarotonga.

The case was part of the repatriation flight that arrived on Thursday local time with 176 passengers onboard.

Prime Minister Mark Brown has confirmed the boy - who was staying at the Edgewater Resort managed isolation and quarantine facility - tested positive at 11pm last night.

The test was a weak positive and may be a historical case or a recent infection.

A predeparture test on 30 November had returned negative.

All the remaining 175 passengers who were on the flight have returned negative results.

The Cook Islands Newspaper reported that the mother of the confirmed case is fully vaccinated, but his siblings are yet to receive Covid-19 vaccinations.

"All are contained in the MIQ facility and will remain in the MIQ until there is no risk of the virus getting into the community," Prime Minister Brown said.