Status of the COVID-19 viral pandemic in the Pitcairn Islands
TheCOVID-19 pandemic in the Pitcairn Islands - a British overseas territory - was part of theworldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 ). The virus was confirmed to have reached the islands on 16 July 2022.[ 2]
ThePitcairn Islands are a remote island chain in thePacific consisting of the islands Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno. They are the onlyBritish Overseas Territory in the Pacific.[ 3] [ 4]
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.[ 5] [ 6]
Thecase fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower thanSARS of 2003 ,[ 7] [ 8] transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[ 9] [ 7]
As a precautionary measure, the Pitcairn Islands Government closed the territory's borders. As a result, all passenger services to the island were suspended in mid-March 2020.[ 10]
The territory's entire population was vaccinated in May 2021, with vaccines that arrived by ship from New Zealand.[ 11] [ 12] [ 13] [ 14]
In March 2022, the Pitcairn Islands reopened its border to international travel. Regular shipping withFrench Polynesia resumed on 5 July 2022.[ 15]
In July 2022, the Pitcairn Islands reported its first cases after two returning residents tested positive on arrival. Two close contacts were also infected.[ 16]
In April 2023, following visits from multiple cruise ships and yachts, a second COVID-19 outbreak was confirmed on the island. Following identification of an initial case and voluntary community testing, approximately half of the island’s population tested positive, with 16 confirmed cases.[ 16]
As of June 2024, Pitcairn was one of the only jurisdictions in the world not to have recorded a hospitalization or death related to COVID-19.[ 16]
^a b c Mathieu, Edouard;Ritchie, Hannah ; Rodés-Guirao, Lucas; Appel, Cameron; Giattino, Charlie; Hasell, Joe; Macdonald, Bobbie; Dattani, Saloni; Beltekian, Diana; Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban;Roser, Max (2020–2024)."Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)" .Our World in Data . Retrieved2026-02-06 . ^ Vance, Andrea (16 July 2022)."Covid-19 finally arrives on remote Pitcairn Island" .Stuff Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved19 July 2022 . ^ Clegg P (2022)."Pitcairn" The Contemporary Pacific .34 (1):207– 216.doi :10.1353/cp.2022.0012 .ISSN 1527-9464 .S2CID 258102833 . ^ "Pitcairn Islands Revise Shipping Service for 2021" .The Pitkern Blog . Pitcairn Islands Tourism. 15 December 2020.Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved18 July 2022 .^ Elsevier."Novel Coronavirus Information Center" .Elsevier Connect .Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved15 March 2020 . ^ 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. Retrieved5 March 2020 . ^a b "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus" .Imperial News . 13 March 2020.Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved15 March 2020 .^ "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. Retrieved17 March 2020 .^ "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus" .www.wfsahq.org .Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved15 March 2020 .^ "Pitcairn Islands Tourism" .Pitcairn Islands Tourism .Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved26 March 2020 .^ Hockaday, James (28 May 2021)."All 47 residents of tiny island in middle of Pacific get Covid vaccines" .Metro .Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved31 May 2021 . ^ "Remote Pitcairn Island to receive COVID-19 vaccines for entire population" .The Pitkern Blog . 22 May 2021.Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved17 June 2021 .^ Gay N, van Gemert C, Merilles OE, Georgel P (January 2022)."Pacific island nations face an urgent need for actions and future research on COVID-19" .The Lancet Regional Health. Western Pacific .18 100326.doi :10.1016/j.lanwpc.2021.100326 .PMC 8665973 PMID 34927109 . ^ "As COVID-19 gains a foothold in the Pacific, countries, WHO and partners work together to save lives - Cook Islands | ReliefWeb" .reliefweb.int . 17 February 2022. Retrieved2022-07-12 .^ "Pitcairn Island's Regular Passenger Service Resumes after two year hiatus" .The Pitkern Blog . Pitcairn Islands Tourism. 30 June 2022.Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved18 July 2022 .^a b c Griffiths, Darralyn; Walters, Kevin; Casey, Sean T. (27 June 2024)."COVID-19 preparedness and response in the Pitcairn Islands: keeping one of the world's smallest and most isolated populations safe in a pandemic" .Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal .15 (2):07– 13.doi :10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.2.1068 .PMC 11215652 PMID 38953003 .
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