COVID-19 Update: Kiribati’s Ministry of Health confirmed 201 new Covid-19 cases in the community on South Tarawa, Betio and Buota via PCR tests; the new cases are in home quarantine with mild symptoms, and an 80-year-old remains in the isolation centre. School Closures: With the country still on alert level 3, the Ministry of Education cancelled the first term school start date (14 February) and will shift to remote learning, with details to be announced later. Mental Health Watch: A new look at depression statistics warns that low reported rates can reflect limited screening and reporting, not necessarily better wellbeing—highlighting how mental health numbers can miss real-life suffering. Regional Health & Safety at Sea: Life Flight (Fiji) Trust is urging wider use of emergency locator beacons (EPIRBs/PLBs) to speed up search and rescue and reduce costly delays, pointing to improved outcomes in Kiribati and Tuvalu. Pacific Waste & Health Link: SPREP reports progress under SWAP2, a regional project funded by AFD to improve waste management and cut pollution across island countries, including Kiribati, with beach surveys and marine-litter audits already completed.