Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA, — In a Dec. 17 memo to Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga and Lt. Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga, Medicaid Director Sandra King Young is calling on the COVID Vaccine Distribution Taskforce to prioritize referral patients going on the Jan. 8 medical charter.

She stated, “Pursuant to the information provided by the COVID Vaccine Distribution Taskforce at the cabinet meeting yesterday, American Samoa’s share of the COVID vaccination will arrive this Saturday, December 19, 2020. I respectfully request that if DOH has sufficient COVID vaccines after all our first responders and health care workers are vaccinated, that our LBJ referral patients going on the January 8 charter are prioritized on the vaccination list.

“We are extremely blessed to have been included in the distribution of the COVID vaccines. It would be extremely prudent for our government to provide the COVID vaccine to our referral patients who will eventually return home — to protect them while receiving medical care in the US and to further protect our community when they return. Since the COVID vaccines are scheduled to arrive on island this Saturday, I understand that there are 2 doses that need to be administered within 21 days.

“I further ask if our DOH team can advise if these two doses can both be safely administered prior to the January 8 charter. If not, we are prepared to delay the flight by a few days in order to ensure that all patients who choose to accept the vaccine are safely vaccinated within the recommended timeframe. The administration of the COVID vaccine is an allowable reimbursable cost under Medicaid, thus my request to extend this protection to our referral patients before they travel to the US where the COVID virus is surging.

“Should there be sufficient vaccines available in this first phase, it would be good policy to further provide the COVID vaccination of other non-medical passengers including our off-island students, to protect our people.”