COVID-19 pandemic in the Marshall Islands

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COVID-19 pandemic in the Marshall Islands
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationMarshall Islands
Index caseKwajalein
Arrival date29 October 2020
(1 year, 3 months and 6 days ago)
Confirmed cases4
Recovered4[1]
Deaths
0

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Marshall Islands is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached the Marshall Islands on 28 October 2020. It is the first country in the Pacific to start its COVID-19 vaccinations in December 2020.

Background[]

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[2][3]

The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[4][5] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[6][4]

Timeline[]

The first cases in the country were reported on 28 October 2020, among two members of the US Army Garrison, who were among a group of 300 Marshall Islanders abroad being repatriated.[7]

The two cases, a man and woman who arrived at a US airfield in Kwajalein tested negative for the virus in Hawaii a week before their arrival.[8] The disaster committee of the Marshall Islands has said "there was no threat of community transmission" and that no lockdown would be implemented until further notice.[9]

On 29 December 2020, the Marshall Islands became the first country in the Pacific to start its COVID-19 vaccinations. A group of high ranking leaders joined with Ministry of Health's doctors and nurses were the first to receive the United States government provided vaccines.[10]

By 13 April 2021, the Marshall Islands reached an adult population vaccination rate of nearly 75% in the "main towns" with their first dose. After completing the urban areas, the Ministry of Health and Human Services plans to distribute Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to the most remote islands of the country to vaccinate the rest of the population. The 20,000 vaccine doses were provided as a donation by the United States and will be sufficient to cover all island's populations.[11]

Statistics[]

New cases per day[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Marshall Islands free of Covid again". RNZ. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  2. ^ Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  3. ^ Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  5. ^ "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  6. ^ "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  7. ^ "First Covid-19 cases in quarantine at US Army base in Marshall Islands". RNZ. 29 October 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Virus arrives in once-clear Marshall Islands". Coronavirus. 29 October 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  9. ^ Doherty, Ben (29 October 2020). "Remote Marshall Islands records its first coronavirus cases". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Marshalls first independent Pacific nation to launch Covid vaccines". RNZ. 30 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  11. ^ Three quarters of urban Marshall Islanders get first Covid jab, RNZ, 13 April 2021


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