CNMI health officials say protective measures and tools are in place to combat the Delta variant of the coronavirus disease.
“We have a system, a program in place on-island, locally, to make sure that if there’s any sign or symptom that we check out the person or individual,” CNMI Covid-19 Task Force Chairman Warren Villagomez said on Friday.
“Yes, we are concerned; I am concerned. That’s the reason why it’s significant and important to support the governor and all the efforts that he’s been doing to make sure that our directives are followed, as well as that we administer the directives to its fullest standards.”
Earlier this month, the CNMI received confirmation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that a Covid-19 specimen sent in May of this year was identified as an alpha variant.
“Every person [who is] under investigation, we handle them with care and make sure that we isolate and [take] all the protective measures, not just isolating, but making sure that all the disinfection process — from the pickup point to the closing point — we follow procedures and protocols for safety,” Villagomez said.
Two weeks ago, Guam reported that a 75-year-old woman who was vaccinated and had underlying health conditions died of the Delta variant at Guam Regional Medical City.
“That is why we need to nourish ourselves, take care of ourselves. Yes, we are vaccinated, but we need to hydrate, eat healthy, and continue to fight this infection,” Villagomez said.
Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation Chief Executive Officer Esther L. Muna, for her part, said, “The Delta variant is very frightening because it’s very infectious. We are seeing that the younger individuals that are getting this are also getting hospitalized. So, the more people that are vaccinated in the community, the better protection that we have for the CNMI.”
She urged unvaccinated individuals to get vaccinated in order to ensure that the CNMI community is protected, and its healthcare system not overwhelmed.
“Our protection of the border is tight,” she added.
On Tuesday, CHCC announced that because the CNMI had reached a 70% vaccination rate, it will no longer require testing upon arrival for fully vaccinated travelers effective, Wednesday, July 28, 2021.
Travelers will, however, still be tested on the fifth day after arrival.
Fully vaccinated travelers can quarantine at their lodging or home after being verified for completing their Covid-19 vaccination, or “vax verified,” and passing a lodging or household assessment.
If their household assessment fails, travelers will be required to quarantine at a government quarantine facility.
“Vax verified” individuals are individuals who have uploaded onto their health declaration form proof of completing a Covid-19 vaccine series.
CDC Vaccination Record Cards are not vaccination records accepted for travel into the CNMI.
Before entering the CNMI, all travelers are encouraged to fill out the mandatory health declaration form at https://governor.gov.mp/covid-19/travel for faster processing.
All travelers are required to show up to their scheduled fifth-day test. Should any individual test positive during any test, they will be isolated at the government quarantine facility.
As of Tuesday, 29,813 individuals, or roughly 70.3% of the CNMI population, had been fully vaccinated.
