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] Only the first island is inhabited, and it has approximately 35 inhabitants (2023).[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]
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]
2021
The territory's entire population was vaccinated in May 2021, with vaccines that arrived by ship from New Zealand.[11][12][13] As of 28 February, 2022, 106 vaccines had been administered.[14]
2022
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] No hospitalizations were required, and no deaths were recorded.
2023
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]
2024
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]
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