Prime Minister-Designate Siaosi Sovaleni has urged Tongan parents to embrace the COVID-19 vaccination for young children, as the latest official data shows a low percentage rate of vaccinations for this age group.
Mr Sovaleni has urged parents on Facebook yesterday to take their children for their second jabs.
He said the vaccination rate for children aged 12 – 17 was still low.
His appeal came after the Ministry of Health officially announced on Monday that 96 percent or 73, 748 of the population aged 12 and over had their first vaccination dose done while 78 percent or 59,834 had taken their second shots.
World Health Organisation (WHO) record showed that as of 12 December 2021, a total of 130,236 vaccine doses had been administered in Tonga.
The kingdom recorded its first Covid-19 case in October after a person who was one of 215 people who arrived in Tonga on a repatriation flight from Christchurch, New Zealand tested positive.
Awaiting king’s appointment
Meanwhile, Kaniva News understands the official release of the full list of Sovaleni’s new Cabinet is awaiting the new Prime Minister’s appointment by the king.
Tonga’s constitution states the King has to appoint the Prime Minister-Designate for the election to come into effect.
The king normally appointed former Prime Ministers just before or after Christmas or on the first week of January the following year.
In 2010, after the election of Lord Tu’ivakanō as Prime Minister under the new democratic system of government on December 21 he was officially appointed by the king on December 22.
After the election of late ‘Akilisi Pōhiva to be the new Prime Minister on December 18 the king officially appointed him on December 30, 2014.
Pōhiva was re-elected on December 18 as Prime Minister after the snap election of 2017 and was later appointed by the king on January 4, 2018.
