The Vice Chancellor from Oceania Unversity of Medicine in Samoa believes Covid-19 has been spreading in the community in Samoa long before last Thursday's first case was reported.
The Vice-Chancellor of the Oceania University of Medicine, Manufalealili Dr Viali Lameko Photo: Samoa Govt
Toleafoa Dr. Viali Lameko has told the Samoa Observer coronavirus had circulating long before it was detected and he's concerned about the elderly as well as people with pre-existing health conditions and children catching the virus.
Toleafoa said the incubation period for Covid-19 - between exposure and symptoms appearing - is between five and six days and the most infectious time is one to two days before and two to three days after the symptoms start.
Toleafoa said people who have no symptoms are also infectious and he appealed to Samoa's Ministry of Health to contact family doctors to test more people.
Samoa currently has 622 cases of Covid-19 since community transmission was discovered last Thursday.