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Some 23 cases of Covid were recorded among the crew of the Adelaide, which left Australia on Friday. It comes as Tonga is desperately trying to prevent Covid from reaching its shores as more humanitarian aid begins arriving in the Pacific nation. Australia’s defense minister Peter has vowed not to put the Tongan population "at risk". The Australian Department of Defense said the Adelaide would continue making its way to Tonga as planned, and is due to arrive on Wednesday. It said in a statement that it would ensure its supplies were delivered in a "Covid-safe manner". Tonga currently has only had one confirmed Covid case, which was recorded in October 2021. Authorities have stressed the need for aid to be delivered in a contactless way to avoid bringing in the virus. How to get aid safely into Covid-free Tonga Australia had earlier despatched military transport planes carrying relief supplies, however the Adelaide vessel is carrying a larger shipment of much-needed aid, including engineering equipment, water and shelter. More than 600 crew are onboard the Adelaide, which has on board medical facilities including a 40-bed hospital and a critical care ward onboard, said the Department of Defense. This is the second aid shipment from Australia that has been hit with Covid - a C-17 plane had to turn around mid-flight last week after a crew member was diagnosed with the virus. Tonga is reeling from the aftermath of a devastating underwater volcanic eruption that hit the South Pacific island nation several weeks ago. The eruption triggered a tsunami that NASA estimated was hundreds of times more powerful than the WWII atomic bombs, wreaking widespread devastation and leaving three dead. Officials say four-fifths of the population have been affected by the tsunami and volcanic ashfall, which continues to pose a public health risk to Tonga's 105,000- strong population. The disasters, ensuing rescue efforts, have threatened Tonga's ability to remain Covid-free, with just one case of infection reported last October. Authorities are determined to keep it that away, as the remoteness of some of its island communities, many with limited healthcare resources, makes them particularly vulnerable to an outbreak.
As humanitarian aid arriving in Tonga following a volcanic eruption and tsunami, the international effort is being complicated by the need to protect the country from coronavirus.
An Australian warship on its way to the South Pacific island nation has recorded about two dozen positive cases onboard, and will now continue in a "Covid-safe manner."
Tonga is effectively Covid-free, with just one case of infection reported last October, and the government has stressed the need for aid to be delivered in a contactless way to keep the virus out.
What is contactless aid? "In Tonga, emergency provisions are being sent in personnel are not and strict Covid protocols are followed on delivery, Aaron Davy, of the Council for International Development, in New Zealand, says. "Even when working on the broken communication cable out at sea, the work is being done without personal contact with local people."
Aid agencies also provide assistance remotely - such as co-ordination expertise - but local authorities and community groups run the response on the ground.
We have staff and partners in country we can plan with them and support them without entering Tonga, UNICEF resident coordinator for the Pacific Islands, Jonathan Veitch, says.
"We helped vaccinate the entire country, so [contactless delivery] is feasible.
"But eventually we may need some specialists in Wash (water, sanitation and hygiene) or reconstruction to go in - and then we will need to sort out safe quarantine measures with the government."
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