The Solomon Islands government is committing the majority of its first shipment of Covid-19 vaccines to protecting communities living along its western border with Papua New Guinea.
The larger Melanesian neighbour is struggling with a deadly community outbreak of Covid-19 with 60 dead and official case numbers in the thousands and climbing.
Solomon Islands by comparison has no Covid-19 deaths and less than 30 cases of the virus, all of them contained in managed isolation.
Health authorities in Honiara started vaccinating frontline health workers last week after receiving the first shipment of 24,000 doses of the Astra Zeneca vaccine.
But I spoke with a senior advisor to the Solomon Islands health ministry, Dr Yogesh Choudhri, who says their biggest concern is communities along the western border.
Solomon Islands government officials (Wearing high visibility vests) handing over the two fishermen to their Bougainville counterparts. Photo: Solomon Islands Government
