The CNMI is making Covid-19 vaccination available to people on Saipan aged 16 and over.
Photo: AFP
On Rota, vaccinations have begun for those who are 18 years and older while on Tinian, vaccinations will start on Friday for those of the same age bracket.
The reason for the difference in age levels as to who can take the vaccine on the three islands relates to the availability of vaccines on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.
The Federal Drug Administration approved the Moderna vaccine for use for people aged 18 and older, and the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for those who are 16 and older.
Since the Pfizer vaccine required special equipment for ultra-cold storage, the CNMI could only offer the Moderna vaccine on Rota and Tinian.
On Saipan, the Pfizer vaccine would be offered to those 16 years old and older.
Meanwhile, the CNMI's Covid-19 case number has grown to 157 after one more person was confirmed positive from the cluster of community transmissions last week.
The Governor's Covid-19 Task Force and the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation said the person was confirmed positive for the coronavirus and identified through expanded contact tracing connected to several individuals who had Covid-19.
All other positive cases and close contacts had been safely isolated from the community.
It brings to 11 the total number of people individuals who had been confirmed positive for Covid-19 since last Friday when the CNMI recorded its first case through local transmission.
Kanoa Resort Quarantine Facility in CNMI Photo: RNZ Pacific / Mark Rabago
The Task Force and Healthcare Corporation reiterated they were not seeing widespread community transmission at this time.
The Corporation also clarified that while it was streamlining its procedures for returning fully vaccinated residents to home quarantine after arriving overseas, police would monitor people in home quarantine and may show up at their house anytime.
It also said violators would have to start their stint in quarantine again, meaning when caught they would have to do a five-day quarantine at the government facility regardless if they already home-quarantined for a day or four days.
As of 17 March, the CNMI had already inoculated 13,339 individuals with the first dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, while 9,585 have completed the two-dose vaccination regimen