Since a wave of the Delta variant which killed at least 500 people in the fall, vaccination has made great progress in French Polynesia.
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From February 8, the vaccination pass will be required in French Polynesia for travel between Tahiti and the other Polynesian archipelagos, concerts and discotheques, exhibitions and fairs welcoming more than 50 exhibitors, fairgrounds with more than 30 stands, or still most of the cultural, artistic, dancing and festive activities and events. And this for anyone aged 16 and over, according to a decree of the High Commissioner of the Republic published in the Official Journal on Saturday January 29 in this overseas community.
This vaccination pass completes the health pass, which will remain accepted for people over 12 years and two months to visit hospitalized people or to receive care in health and medico-social establishments. In Polynesia, where vaccination of children under 12 has not started, the incidence rate is 154 per 100,000 inhabitants. However, local health department epidemiologist Henri-Pierre Mallet acknowledges “a certain underestimation due to low use of screening”.
However, only one patient is hospitalized for Covid-19, while the hospital center was saturated five months earlier. Polynesia has not deplored any deaths from Covid since October. In August and September, a wave of the Delta variant had caused the death of at least 500 people, out of 280,000 inhabitants, in a poorly vaccinated Polynesia. Since then, vaccination has progressed a lot but remains lower than the rate in mainland France: 77.5% of Polynesians over 12 years old have a complete vaccination schedule.