The Coordinator of the Pacific Calling Partnership, Corinne Fisher, is concerned that an outbreak of COVID-19 will wreak havoc on small Pacific island states with vulnerable healthcare systems.
Ms Fisher has called on the Australian federal government to make special funding arrangements to boost the preparedness of small island countries in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak.
At the time of our interview, there were 120 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in the Pacific region, most of them in Guam.
However, Ms Fisher says many smaller island states like Tuvalu and Kiribati are ill-equipped to deal with a COVID-19 pandemic due to widespread poverty, lack of clean water and soap, testing kits, ventilators and all the necessary medical equipment.
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