There has been a surge in Covid-19 cases in French Polynesia, with 179 new cases reported over the last five days.

According to the government, 72 cases were detected in people coming off international flights while the remaining 102 cases are local infections.

The latest figures, which keep including the Omicron variant, concern people mainly in the Society Islands and in the Marquesas.

Last week Bora Bora mayor Gaston Tong Sang claimed that his island was free of Omicron, but authorities then pointed out that Bora Bora was the most affected island.

The government has continued the weekend's vaccination drive at the presidential palace into this week.

Over the weekend, a further 4600 jabs were administered, bringing the vaccination rate for those over the age of 12 to almost 73 percent.

The biggest wave of the pandemic struck in September when hundreds of people died.