Share on Twitter
Far-flung Pacific island nations have been among the most successful in the world at keeping COVID-19 at bay by swiftly closing their borders and imposing strict quarantine measures.
With poor hospital infrastructure and high rates of underlying health conditions Pacific governments weren’t going to take any chances. And for the most part it’s worked.
Island nations and territories including Kiribati, Nauru, Palau and Tonga are believed to still be completely virus-free, while others such as Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa have recorded some cases, but none via community transmission.
But economically, these places, so heavily reliant on tourism, have been badly hit. Which is why the procurement and rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine is now top of the agenda across the Pacific, in the hopes of re-opening the borders and jumpstarting the economy.