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COVID-19 pandemic in Vanuatu

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COVID-19 pandemic in Vanuatu
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationVanuatu
First outbreakWuhan, Hubei, China
Arrival date11 November 2020[1]
(4 years, 1 week and 6 days ago)
Confirmed cases1[1]
Suspected cases0
Recovered1
Deaths
0
Suspected cases have not been confirmed by laboratory tests as being due to this strain, although some other strains may have been ruled out.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Vanuatu 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 Vanuatu on 11 November 2020.[1]

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

March 2020

On 16 March 2020, travel restrictions and quarantine measures were put in place for those entering Vanuatu.[7] On 22 March, Vanuatu's health authorities confirmed that tests for a resort worker with a suspected case of coronavirus had returned negative.[8] On 26 March President Tallis Obed Moses declared a state of emergency in the country.[9] A tourist on a cruise ship visiting the island of Aneityum had tested positive for the virus, prompting a lockdown on the island. Blood samples from locals on the island were also sent to New Caledonia for testing.[9]

November 2020

On 11 November, Vanuatu confirmed its first asymptomatic case, resulting from a man who had traveled to the islands from the United States via Sydney and Auckland. The man had arrived on Vanuatu on 4 November and undergone managed isolation and quarantine with no symptoms. He tested positive on 10 November.[1]

December 2020

On 2 December, Vanuatu confirmed that the man who tested positive earlier on November has tested negative for COVID-19.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Vanuatu has its first Covid-19 case". Radio New Zealand. 11 November 2020. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 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. ^ "Pacific nations take further measures against coronavirus". Radio New Zealand. 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Covid-19 tests in Samoa, Vanuatu come back negative". Radio New Zealand. 22 March 2020. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Vanuatu declares State of Emergency over Covid-19". Radio New Zealand. 26 March 2020. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Vanuatu PM declares Covid contained". RNZ. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.