THE islands’ 147th positive case of Covid-19 is a frontliner who was fully vaccinated, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. Esther Muna said in an emergency press briefing conducted online Saturday evening.
Taking the Covid-19 vaccine does not mean that a person will not contract the virus, she added.
“The whole point of the vaccine is to…protect you and your family members from getting severe illnesses if you do contract Covid-19,” she said.
“Obviously this is an individual that is at-risk in their line of work; [the frontliners] are always at risk, and so it’s just unfortunate that somebody who is always at the frontline happens to be affected by this situation.”
The 147th case is asymptomatic, she added.
The New York Times reported last month that three members of the U.S. Congress were among those who tested positive for the coronavirus even though they had already received one or both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.
It has been reported in people in other walks of life, too, including Rick Pitino, a Hall of Fame basketball coach, and a nurse in California, the report added.
“Experts say cases like these are not surprising and do not indicate that there was something wrong with the vaccines or how they were administered. Here is why.
“Vaccines don’t work instantly. It takes a few weeks for the body to build up immunity after receiving a dose. And the vaccines now in use in the United States, from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, both require a second shot a few weeks after the first to reach full effectiveness.
“Nor do they work retroactively. You can already be infected and not know it when you get the vaccine — even if you recently tested negative. That infection can continue to develop after you get the shot but before its protection fully takes hold, and then show up in a positive test result.
“The vaccines prevent illness, but maybe not infection. Covid vaccines are being authorized based on how well they keep you from getting sick, needing hospitalization and dying. Scientists don’t know yet how effective the vaccines are at preventing the coronavirus from infecting you to begin with, or at keeping you from passing it on to others. (That is why vaccinated people should keep wearing masks and maintaining social distance.)
“Even the best vaccines aren’t perfect. The efficacy rates for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are extremely high, but they are not 100%. With the virus still spreading out of control in the United States, some of the millions of recently vaccinated people were bound to get infected in any case.”
Not a traveler
In the CNMI, the 147th case was identified at 5 p.m. Friday through outbound travel testing and was then transported to the alternate care site at Kanoa Resort.
The person has not traveled outside of the CNMI, but has a history of being in contact with those that are “traveling in,” CHCC CEO Muna said.
Ten high-risk contacts were identified through contact tracing and were transported to Kanoa Resort at 10 p.m. on Friday; they were tested at 8 a.m. on Saturday, she added.
Of these 10, three tested positive and are also asymptomatic — they have familial relations with the 147th case, Muna said.
Muna said expanded contact tracing found 10 additional high-risk contacts, bringing the count to 20 high-risk contacts for the 147th case.
Multiple platforms were being utilized to confirm each case, Muna added.
“We all know that the risk exists and it’s one of the reasons why we often remind individuals to continue to wear their masks, wash their hands, and watch their distance. These 3 W’s are in place for prevention, and what we’re doing right now is to try to contain it. We have the tools to contain it and that’s what we’re implementing since we identified the case.”
She said since day one, it has been recommended that people stay home unless they absolutely need to go outside.
No lockdown
As far as “locking down” the island is concerned, Muna said after discussions with the CHCC medical team, they do not feel that it is necessary at this time.
“But of course, that’s up to the governor. We are not suggesting that a lockdown is necessary. We have the tools to contain this and we have the testing capability to identify and contain this,” she said.
As for the inbound passengers from the CNMI’s two most recent flights, Muna said they tested negative for Covid-19.
“We’re better equipped now. We’re better prepared,” she added.
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, for his part, said, “I just want to assure the community for everything that we’ve done, we cannot forget the success that we’ve had… I believe in the system. I believe in the task force that has worked so hard, as well as the contact tracers… We are still the safest place in the U.S.”
The governor urges the CNMI community to continue to follow the administration’s Covid-19 directives, and to refrain from disseminating false or incomplete information.
He stressed the importance of waiting for official updated information provided by the administration, the Covid-19 Task Force, CHCC, and media partners, noting that spreading false or incomplete information also has harmful effects.
“To safeguard our community, please wait for proper information from proper authorities,” the governor said.
Covid-19 Task Force Chairman Warren Villagomez said there is no discussion to expand the curfew hours which are currently from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.
“We have the tools as the CEO says,” he said.
As for “shutting down” the airport, he said border control is under the U.S. Department of Transportation. “We have no control over inbound flights, especially of U.S. carriers. But we have system in place to safeguard the community.”
He is also urging community members not to “start rumors — we have a plan, and we’re implementing it. Please continue to observe the 3Ws.”
CHCC CEO Muna said this Monday, more clarity regarding Covid-19 testing dates, sites and procedures will be provided to community members.
4 additional cases
On Sunday, the Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force and the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. said four additional individuals were confirmed positive for Covid-19.
154 people have now been confirmed positive for Covid-19 in the CNMI since March 28, 2020.
According to the task force and CHCC:
Within the recently identified community cluster, a total of eight individuals have been confirmed positive for Covid-19.
These four additional individuals were identified through expanded contact tracing relating to confirmed cases 149 and 150. All four are asymptomatic and are in stable condition.
The immediate response, use of state-of-the-art tools and techniques by the CHCC contact tracing and laboratory team allowed for rapid containment and protection for our CNMI community.
The following is a timeline of containment measures conducted by CHCC and the Covid-19 Task Force:
Friday, March 12, 2021
• At 5 p.m., the first individual (case 147) was identified through outbound travel testing. The individual did not show any symptoms and completed their Covid-19 vaccination prior to testing.
• By 10 p.m., contact tracing identified 10 high-risk contacts and transported to Kanoa Resort, the designated quarantine facility.
Saturday, March 13, 2021
• At 8 a.m., testing for all 10 contacts was conducted, inclusive of the use of redundant testing platforms. At 10:00 a.m., results were received, returning with three out of 10 individuals testing positive for Covid-19.
• All three additional cases are of familial relations to case 147
• Expanded contact investigation for person referenced in case 147 led to 10 additional high-risk contacts, bringing the total number of contacts to 20 individuals.
o All were in isolation and tested on redundant platforms.
• Additional contact investigation for case 148 led to 15 high risk contacts.
o All were in isolation and tested on redundant platforms.
• Expanded contact tracing for persons referenced in case 149 and 150 identified 14 high risk contacts.
• Between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., results were made available for contacts connected to cases 149 and 150. Of the 14, four individuals tested positive on redundant platforms and are confirmed cases 151-154. Tests are still being processed for other contacts relating to this situation.
Sunday, March 14, 2021
• No additional positives from overnight testing as of 7:30 a.m.
As of 9:35 a.m., March 14, 2021, CHCC and the Covid-19 Task Force have identified 49 individuals through expanded contact tracing. All 49 contacts have been safely isolated away from the community. Contact tracing will continue to identify high-risk contacts and to isolate them away from the community.
At this time, CHCC said it is not seeing a widespread of community transmission. “The concern right now is providing care to the individuals and potential individuals exposed to Covid-19. Early identification will help to protect our community.”
Rumor control
Also on Sunday, the Office of the Governor urged the community “to stop spreading misinformation regarding businesses or individuals involved in the ongoing contact tracing investigation.”
WhatsApp messages and social media posts that are not from the Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force and CHCC are unauthorized, untrue, and unverified, the governor’s office stated.
“During this sensitive time, the spread of misinformation can be more dangerous than the virus itself. Unverified rumors have no place in our community, and people involved in the sharing of this information will only hurt local businesses, patients, neighbors, and even loved ones closest to you.
“The community is reminded to only share verified, official information from the Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force and the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation.
“The CNMI has the tools and personnel in place to safeguard our community. Be a part of the solution by letting our first responders do their jobs.”
