Covid-19 claims two more lives in French Polynesia

12:16 pm on 20 October 2020

French Polynesia's Covid-19 pandemic has claimed two more lives, bringing the death toll to 16.

An ambulance enters the Taaone hospital in Papeete, the French overseas territory of Polynesia. (2014)

Photo: AFP

67 patients are in hospital, including 20 in intensive care.

Since the last update three days ago, another 813 new cases were detected, raising the number of active cases to 1330.

All but 62 of the 4610 cases were detected after the borders were reopened and mandatory quarantine requirements were abolished in July.

Among those to test positive are the president Edouard Fritch and his predecessor Gaston Flosse.

The virus is now in many islands, believed to have been spread by politicians who met in Papeete last month for the election of the territory's two members of the French Senate.