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]
By 3 February 2020,PresidentDavid W. Panuelo, had signed a declaration banning Micronesian citizens from travelling toChina and other affected countries.[9]
By 5 March, Micronesia had introduced a strict travel ban, banning anyone who had been inChina anytime since January 2020 – or had been in any other affected country in the last 14 days – from entering Micronesia.[10] By 18 March, all schools in the country were closed.[11]
On 8 January 2021, Micronesia reported its first case, that of a crew member on board the MVChief Mailo nearPohnpei, in managed isolation.[2][12]
By the end of the month, the case was deemed to be negative and historical after subsequent antibody and antigen tests.[13] The case was deemed a non-infectious "historical case", meaning the individual concerned likely had COVID-19 in the past possibly prior to October 2020 and was asymptomatic at the time of testing.[14]
In August 2021, the government imposed a strict vaccination mandate for all its citizens; which meant federal aid could be with held from anyone not vaccinated. This ensured high vaccination rates, where nearly 60% of the population was fully vaccinated and about 70% was partially vaccinated by September 2021.[15]
The government had planned to end all of its quarantine restrictions and also open its borders on 1 August 2022, but a COVID-19 outbreak began in the country in mid July 2022. On 19 July, the government announced that multiple positive cases were recorded in the states ofKosrae andPohnpei.[3] The number of cases skyrocketed by a 1,000 by the end of the week and there were a total of 1,261 cases and one death by 26 July. The Vice PresidentYosiwo George also tested positive and had to be hospitalized. The government issued a mask mandate, noncompliance of which meant a $1,000 fine.[16]
Cases and deaths continued to rise throughout the remainder of the year, and by 15 December, a total of 22,048 cases and 58 deaths had been reported.[17]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic theChuuk Women's Council switched from group-based services to one-to-one outreach. A particular concern was access to sexual health resources, including information, as well as HIV prevention packages.[28]
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Chuuk
Kosrae
Pohnpei
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