A 63-year-old has become the Cook Islands first COVID-19 death.
According to a statement issued by the Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, the woman was from the island of Aitutaki, was fully vaccinated and even had her booster shot.
“It is with great sadness that I announce that we have just recorded our first in-country death attributed to COVID-19,” Mr Brown said.
He added that the woman had several serious underlying health conditions.
It is reported that the deceased had been sick for three days at home and had declined to see a doctor or go to the hospital until the family made an emergency call to Aitutaki hospital on the weekend.
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“It is tragic, but not unexpected that we might lose someone to COVID-19. I, together with Te Marae Ora (Ministry of Health), am sending our condolences to the family who have just lost a loved one, our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time and the people of Aitutaki,” Mr Brown said.
Secretary of Health Bob Williams added while most cases can be treated at home if matters deteriorate, people should not hesitate to seek medical attention, as earlier intervention might have prevented this tragedy.
Rarotonga had 73 new cases reported on the weekend. This brings the total number of cases on Rarotonga to 4,342. 3,832 of these cases have recovered and there are currently 505 active cases on Rarotonga.
Aitutaki recorded 43 new cases on the weekend, bringing their total to 382 cases of which 155 have recovered and 227 are currently active.
Mauke currently has three active cases, all who have been in isolation since their arrival on island.
In summary, the Cook Islands has so far had a total of 4,727 cases. 3,990 have recovered and there are 735 active cases as of this morning.
