Coronavirus cases continue to rise rapidly in Tonga and tests have confirmed that the particularly contagious omicron variant is behind the isolated Pacific island nation's first community outbreak since the start of the pandemic, officials said Thursday.
Health Minister Saia Piukala told reporters that 31 more people had tested positive for the virus, nearly doubling Tonga's active cases for the second day in a row to a total of 64, the online Matangi Tonga news portal and other media reported.
