Pacific nation Palau reaches 99 per cent Covid-19 vaccination

This article is more than 12 months old

Oct 15, 2021 06:00 am

KOROR The tiny Pacific island of Palau is now one of the world's most vaccinated countries, with more than 99 per cent of the eligible population fully protected against Covid-19, according to data released yesterday.

In a population of about 18,000, almost 15,000 people have been fully vaccinated, according to the country's Ministry of Health and Human Services.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said this means more than 99 per cent of the eligible population had been fully jabbed.

In a statement, the health body praised what it said was a remarkable pace of vaccination, but warned that coverage elsewhere in the South Pacific was patchy.

Palau was one of the few countries to avoid Covid-19 after closing its borders early in the pandemic, despite the huge cost to its tourism-reliant economy.

That record of zero Covid-19 cases was broken in August when two people who arrived from Guam tested positive. - AFP