Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — LBJ Medical Center officials have assured senators that the territory’s only hospital is prepared in the event the COVID-19 virus spreads into the community sending people to the medical center — it has a response-plan in place.

LBJ’s Chief Executive Officer Faumuina John Faumuina and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Iotamo Saleapaga and LBJ Medical Center board chairman, Dr. Malouamaua Tuiolosega made the verbal assurance before a Senate committee hearing Wednesday on COVID-19 preparedness for the hospital and other issues.

Faumuina informed the committee that the hospital has in place a plan — which has been revised and updated at least three or four times — working with LBJ’s “Disaster Committee” which deals with any type of natural or man-made disasters.

He said the hospital began preparation when the COVID-19 pandemic was first announced. He shared some of those preparations, which Samoa News points out started in early 2020, when then Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga issued the first COVID-19 public health emergency declaration in March of that year.

Among the preparations, is an upgrade to the laboratory, negative-pressure rooms, special tents — that were first erected in 2020 on the LBJ compound but have seen been taken down for now — to house patients and overflow of patients from other wards, and two specialized containers as a second morgue in case of an overflow of deaths from the virus.

Additionally, the Disaster Committee continues to meet and discuss various matters including medication, equipment and beds. And the hope is that there is no community spread of the deadly virus and no infected patients admitted the hospital, which has a ward for COVID-19 patients.

The LBJ officials shared with the committee three-sets of plans, detailing what’s done and in place, as well as protocols under the current Code Blue alert level and when its elevated to Code Red — which would be a wide spread of community transmission of the virus.

As of now, there’s no community spread of the virus — based on all the latest data, said Dr. Saleapaga, noting that LBJ continues to work closely with the Health Department.

Saleapaga said the solution to keeping the virus at bay from spreading in the community is for residents to get vaccinated — reaching the rate of 90% or even 99%.

Both Saleapaga and Faumuina praised and commended their DoH colleagues for their continued work in keeping the territory safe.

Regarding the status of medical staff — nurses and doctors, Faumuina said a special charter flight on Apr. 10 from Fiji will bring more doctors and nurses.

He also said that LBJ has already communicated with off island providers, including a U.S. hospital, which had worked with LBJ in past year, that are prepared to dispatch physicians to assist the hospital when needed as these medical professionals have experience dealing with the virus.