First shipment of Covid-19 vaccine offloaded in American Samoa Photo: RNZ Monica Miller
The vaccination of health workers and first responders in American Samoa with the Pfizer Covid vaccine is to begin this morning.
The first shipment of the vaccine arrived on the Asia Pacific cargo plane yesterday afternoon.
From the airport the boxes containing the vaccine were transported to the Tafuna Community Health Center under police escort.
The Pfizer vaccine requires refrigeration at -70C.
According to Dr Aifili John Tufa, epidemiologist at the Department of Health, the vaccination of health workers and first responders will start today.
He said patients travelling on a medical charter to Hawaii next month, will also be vaccinated in this first group.