| COVID-19 pandemic in the Marshall Islands | |
|---|---|
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Marshall Islands |
| Index case | Kwajalein |
| Arrival date | 29 October 2020 (4 years, 11 months, 2 weeks and 6 days ago) |
| Confirmed cases | 15,541[1] |
| Hospitalized cases | 121 |
| Recovered | 15,501 |
Deaths | 17 |
TheCOVID-19 pandemic in the Marshall Islands is part of the ongoingworldwide pandemic ofcoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused bysevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached theMarshall Islands on 28 October 2020, but remained confined to quarantined arrivals (no domesticcommunity spread) until August 2022. The first knowncommunity transmission cases of COVID-19 were confirmed inMajuro on August 8, 2022, ending the country's COVID-free status.[2] The first confirmed death from COVID-19 in the Marshall Islands occurred on August 11, 2022.[3]
The Marshall Islands were the first country in thePacific Islands to start its COVID-19 vaccination program, which commenced in December 2020.
On 12 January 2020, theWorld Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that anovel 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.[4][5]
Thecase fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower thanSARS of 2003,[6][7] but thetransmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[8][6]
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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.[9]
The two cases, a man and woman who arrived at aUS airfield inKwajalein tested negative for the virus inHawaii a week before their arrival.[10] 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.[11]
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 theUnited States government provided vaccines.[12]
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 planned to distributeModerna andJohnson & 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 theUnited States and were deemed sufficient to cover every island's populations.[13]
August 2022 saw the first outbreak of the virus in the Marshall Islands.[14]
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| Island | Cases | Recovered | Deaths | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ailinglaplap | 163 | 163 | 0 | |
| Ailuk | 198 | 198 | 0 | |
| Arno | 363 | 363 | 0 | |
| Aur | 150 | 150 | 0 | |
| Ebon | 13 | 13 | 0 | |
| Jaluit | 783 | 783 | 0 | |
| Kwajalein[a] | 3,154 | 3,143 | 4 | |
| Majuro | 9,883 | 9,869 | 12 | |
| Maloelap | 200 | 200 | 0 | |
| Mejit | 115 | 115 | 0 | |
| Mili | 72 | 49 | 0 | |
| Utrik | 102 | 102 | 0 | |
| Wotje | 345 | 344 | 1 | |
| 15,541 | 15,524 | 17 | [15] |