Tonga has recorded its first case of coronavirus nearly two years after the deadly pandemic broke out and swept across the globe.

The island nation of Tonga has detected its first-ever case of coronavirus after a traveller arriving from New Zealand tested positive.

According to New Zealand health officials, the traveller was fully vaccinated, and tested negative before leaving for Tonga.

The person arrived on a flight from the New Zealand city of Christchurch on Wednesday along with 215 other people, and has been isolating at a quarantine hotel, Tonga’s Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa said in a radio address.

Some of the other people onboard the plane included members of Tonga’s Olympic team, who had been unable to leave the city since the games were held in Japan in the summer.

Tonga’s prime minister has now warned residents on the main island of Tongatapu that they could face a potential lockdown next week.

He added he delayed enforcing an immediate lockdown “because the virus will take more than three days to develop in someone who catches it before they become contagious”.

Commuter rail journeys still at just 45% of pre-pandemic levels, new figures show

COVID-19: US intelligence agencies admit the true origins of coronavirus may never be known

COVID-19: Reality star Khloe Kardashian and daughter True test positive for coronavirus

Mr Tu’i’onetoa said: “We should use this time to get ready in case more people are confirmed they have the virus.”

Siale Akau’ola, the chief executive of Tonga’s health ministry, also explained the person who had become infected had received a second dose of the vaccine earlier this month.

Like many island nations in the region, Tonga’s isolation has helped keep it safe from the virus but it faces big challenges should COVID take hold because of its under-resourced health system.

Only one third of citizens in Tonga have been vaccinated so far.

National immunisation coordinator Afu Tei told AFP news agency thousands had been turning up at vaccination centres to receive their jabs.

The Pacific Island nation, which is located northwest of New Zealand, has a population of over 100,000 people.

Tonga was among only a few other countries, including North Korea and Turkmenistan, yet to report any COVID cases.

Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins University recently revealed more than 246 million COVID cases have been recorded around the world.

The data added there has been almost five million COVID-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Related posts:

EU politician ‘hasn’t slept well’ after seating arrangement gaffe Iran blames Israel for sabotage attack on nuclear facility Israel still in grips of political crisis as violence escalates on both sides Israel-Gaza violence: Street battles break out in cities where Jews and Arabs have coexisted Israel assembles troops at Gaza border as flights cancelled over safety fears PM to hold emergency Cobra meeting over worsening situation in Afghanistan Paralympic swimmer criticises Heathrow Airport after wheelchair ‘destroyed’ on way to Tokyo Putin heralds Assad’s win over the ‘terrorists’ as the pair meet in Moscow for the first time since 2015 COVID vaccine passports ‘increase jab uptake’ in countries with lower coverage, study suggests Beijing Winter Olympics should not be Chinese ‘sportswashing’ opportunity, Amnesty International warns China has forcibly returned nearly 10,000 overseas nationals, says report Homes on three Tongan islands ‘completely destroyed’ by tsunami as pictures of devastation emerge