Isolated island in Pacific Ocean experiences first COVID-19 cases of the pandemic after arrival of fully vaccinated, triple-tested missionaries who were in quarantine



The first signs of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, surfaced in Wuhan, China, on Dec. 12, 2019. By December 2020, COVID-19 had reached every continent on the planet after the first cases were detected on Antarctica. Through the entire COVID-19 endemic and pandemic, the remote island nation of Kiribati had managed to not have a single case of COVID-19 until Jan. 19, 2022.

Kiribati is an isolated island nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a population of roughly 122,000. Kiribati closed its borders 10 months ago, and then reopened the country this month.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chartered a plane to Kiribati this month to bring home 54 of the island nation's citizens. Many of the travelers were missionaries who had left Kiribati before the country closed the border.

There were highly rigorous precautions to ensure that the travelers didn't bring COVID-19 to the unspoiled island nation.

First, everyone had to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Second, passengers had to test negative for COVID-19 three times in nearby Fiji before arrival. Third, they had been in pre-departure quarantine for two weeks before the flight. Fourth, they were put in quarantine with additional testing when they arrived home, according to the Associated Press.

Despite the over-the-top safeguards, two-thirds of the travelers were diagnosed with COVID-19 after arriving from Fiji on Jan. 15. Of the 54 passengers, 36 tested positive for COVID-19.

On Jan. 19, Kiribati reported 37 COVID-19 cases. As of Jan. 28, there are 181 confirmed COVID-19 cases and no deaths.

Kiribati declared a state of disaster, and quickly instituted COVID-19 restrictions, including lockdowns, curfews, and quarantine sites.

There are 33% of Kiribati citizens who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

There was a similar situation last month in Antarctica when nearly two-thirds of the research staff based at the Princess Elisabeth Polar Station became infected with COVID-19 despite strict health protocols in place. The workers at the Princess Elisabeth Polar Station were also fully vaccinated, took multiple PCR tests, and quarantined before arriving at the research facility.

Nearly two-thirds of Antarctica station researchers get COVID despite being fully vaccinated, passing multiple tests, quarantining, and living miles from civilization



Nearly two-thirds of the staff based at the Princess Elisabeth Polar Station in Antarctica have been infected with COVID-19 despite having strict health protocols in place to try to stop the spread of the respiratory disease.

Since Dec. 14, at least 16 of the 25 workers at the Princess Elisabeth Polar Station have caught the coronavirus. The first case was a researcher who had arrived at the base seven days earlier.

The infected researchers were put into quarantine following the positive test. There are two emergency doctors at the Princess Elisabeth Polar Station treating the COVID-positive researchers.

The spread of COVID-19 was surprising for many since all of the researchers were fully vaccinated. The scientists also had to take several PCR tests and quarantine before traveling to the polar station.

"The researchers who are at the station currently had to undergo a PCR test in Belgium two hours before leaving for South Africa and then another PCR test five days after arriving in Cape Town, as well as ten days of quarantine," the Jerusalem Post reported.

A virologist consulted by the Belgian Polar Secretariat believes that the outbreak was likely caused by the omicron variant since it was the prevailing strain in South Africa – the last stop the researchers made before arriving in Antarctica.

Joseph Cheek – a project manager for the International Polar Foundation – told the BBC, "The situation isn't dramatic."

"While it has been an inconvenience to have to quarantine certain members of the staff who caught the virus, it hasn't significantly affected our work at the station overall," Cheek noted.

"All residents of the station were offered the opportunity to leave on a scheduled flight on 12 January," he added. "However, they all expressed their wish to stay and continue their work."

The base has halted all new arrivals until the outbreak ends.

The Princess Elisabeth Polar Station – the world’s first zero-emission polar research station that went into service in 2009 – is located in one of the planet's most remote regions and miles from civilization.

Antarctica was the last continent to not have any cases of COVID-19 up until December 2020, when 36 people caught COVID-19 at the Chilean research base General Bernardo O’Higgins Riquelme in Antarctica.