COVID-19 pandemic in Norfolk Island
Viral pandemic in Norfolk Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The COVID-19 pandemic in Norfolk Island was part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached Norfolk Island on December 30, 2021.[3]
| COVID-19 pandemic in Norfolk Island | |
|---|---|
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Pathogen | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Norfolk Island |
| First outbreak | Wuhan, China |
| Arrival date | 30 December 2021 |
| Confirmed cases | 1,051[1] |
Deaths | 0 |
| Fatality rate | 0% |
| Vaccinations | 1,727 (fully vaccinated)[2] |
Background
On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel 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]
The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[5] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[6]
Timeline
In March 2020, as a precautionary measure, the Norfolk Island Regional Council imposed a 32-day travel ban and declared a state of emergency. Administrator Eric Hutchinson stated that the measures were necessary due to the remote island's extremely limited health capacity.[7] Lockdown measures began to be lifted from 6 May 2020.[8]
Following outbreaks in the Australian Eastern States and Territories in mid-2021, Norfolk islands implemented further restrictions. COVID-19 support packages were made available for Norfolk Island businesses and residents.[9] COVID-19 was confirmed to have reached Norfolk Island on December 30, 2021.[10]
By January 26, 2022, 75 cases had been confirmed, with only one recovered. The cases were confirmed to be the Omicron variant of the corona virus.[11] Cases continued to spread for the remainder of the year. By mid October 2022, cases had reached a total of 1,051 and no deaths had occurred.[1] As the community infections had seemingly plateaued and the majority of the population had been vaccinated against COVID-19, the health authority ended all restrictions and health directions related to the pandemic in alignment with the lifting of measures in Queensland, Australia.[12]
Vaccination
Vaccinations started in August 2021. By February 10, 2022, 1,705 residents had received their first dose, 1,727 had received their second, and 1,244 had received a booster shot. A further 103 children aged 5–11 years had also received their first dose.[2]