Several years into the pandemic, coronavirus has finally reached one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands.
Two Covid-19 infections were detected over the weekend on Chatham Island, which is located roughly 800km east of New Zealand. The archipelago that shares its name is home to approximately 600 people.
The cases on Rēkohu, as the islands are also known, were confirmed by New Zealand’s Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) on Sunday.
Dr Helen Skinner, the controller at the CDHB’s Covid-19 emergency co-ordination centre, said those affected were currently self-isolating on the island.
“We encourage anyone who isn’t vaccinated or hasn’t had their booster to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” she said, noting that vaccinations would be available on Monday.
Rapid testing would also soon be provided to the inhabitants of the Chatham Islands by the DHB, Dr Skinner added.
Monique Croon, the mayor of the Chatham Islands, said the arrival of coronavirus was troubling but added that health authorities were prepared.
“It’s certainly not the best of news but we have prepared for this,” she told The Guardian.
As the Chatham Islands are part of New Zealand, people living on the mainland have been able to visit the archipelago during the pandemic, with flights available from Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. A total of 2,000 tourists normally visit the remote islands each year.
The omicron variant has led to a sharp spike in cases in New Zealand, which for much of the pandemic managed to keep infections low.
New Zealand announced 17,552 new daily coronavirus cases on Monday. More than 95 per cent of people living in the country have received two coronavirus vaccine doses, while 64 per cent have received their booster.
