United States Region IX is offering for medical team from the U.S. to come to Palau to help with vaccination of COVID-19 with 10,000 doses according to Minister Dr. Emais Roberts of the Ministry of Health.
During the press conference with President Remengesau on Wednesday, Minister Roberts also reported that as of Wednesday, 725 people have already been vaccinated and they expect to reach 1,400 by this Friday. He also reported that another 3,200 doses of Moderna vaccine are arriving on Thursday APA flight which was last night.
Responding to question why they can not administer all 2,800 vaccine doses they received on December 31st, Minister Roberts said they could but because there’s a possibility of delay of shipment, they cannot risk missing that last dose due to delays. He said that should they get one large batch as discussed with Region IX, they can administer more doses.
Meanwhile, Taiwan CDC doctors who came to assess Palau in preparation for the arrival of their Foreign Minister and his delegation to the inauguration of President-elect Surangel Whipps Jr., reported that Palau was well prepared, not only at its borders but also its facilities to handle positive covid case should one is found on island.
President-elect Surangel Whipps Jr. who was given same assessment report in a separate meeting with the Taiwan CDC experts said that Ministry of Health should be commended for doing a good job ensuring that Palau is fully prepared.
As result of the visit, Whipps said that Taiwan will be cutting down the quarantine period in Taiwan for Palauans from 14 down to 5. He added that this development brings us closer to the realization of the “sterile corridor” plan.
President-elect also reported that in his first official phone call with Republic of China – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen, they also offered help to vaccinate people and also offered a containerized medical ward from Taiwan.
With all these preparations, Minister of Health Dr. Emais Roberts continue to urge caution and taking every measure to stay safe.