Covid is spreading ‘like wildfire’ in the Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands have declared a “state of health disaster” after over a tenth of the residents of the capital, Majuro, were infected with the omicron covid variant in just one week.
Last week, the island nation discovered a handful of cases. Since then, the numbers have soared to about 2,800 cases in Majuro, which has a population of 22,500. In total, around 3,000 cases have been confirmed and three deaths have been reported.
Republic of the Marshall Islands in the Western Pacific. Photo: Johan Hallnäs/TT
The Marshall Islands was one of the last countries that, due to its strict quarantine rules, managed without a case of infection. A relaxation of the rules in recent weeks combined with a large number of people traveling to the island nation is believed to be behind the outbreak.
Flights are cancelled
Domestic flights and travel by government ships to remote islands have now been suspended to stem the spread of the virus, but Health Minister Jack Niedenthal warns the situation could worsen.
– The good thing about all the other countries going ahead of us is that we really understand epidemiologically how this variant of the virus spreads; like wildfire, he says, according to AFP.
