COVID-19 pandemic in Norfolk Island
| COVID-19 pandemic in Norfolk Island | |
|---|---|
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | 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] |
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]
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
Date |
# of cases |
# of deaths
| ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-30 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2021-12-31 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-01 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-02 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-03 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-04 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-05 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-06 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-07 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-08 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-09 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-10 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-11 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-12 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-13 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-14 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-15 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-16 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-17 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-18 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-19 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-20 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-21 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-22 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-23 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-24 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-25 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-26 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-01-27 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| ⋮ | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-02-03 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| ⋮ | 0(n.a.) | |||
| 2022-02-10 | 0(n.a.) | |||
| Sources: | ||||
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]
See also
References
- ^ a b "NIHRACS COVID-19 Update". www.facebook.com. 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
- ^ a b "2022-02-10 EMNI Media Release" (PDF). www.nirc.gov.au. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- ^ "Media release" (PDF). norfolkisland.gov.nf. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-12-31. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier.com. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
- ^ "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
- ^ "Coronavirus - guidance for anaesthesia and perioperative care providers". WFSA. 2020-06-25. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
- ^ Davies, Jessie (2020-03-17). "State of emergency declared for Norfolk Island, travel ban imposed". ABC News. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
- ^ Davies, Jessie (6 May 2020). "Norfolk Island lifts coronavirus lockdown measures to allow dining in cafes, restaurants and clubs". ABC News. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Supporting Norfolk Island businesses affected by COVID restrictions". Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ Visontay, Elias (2022-01-06). "'Very vulnerable': first Covid outbreak in Norfolk Island raises concerns about health system". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
- ^ "2022-07-01 EMNI Media Release" (PDF). www.nirc.gov.au. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- ^ "NIHRACS COVID-19 Update". www.facebook.com. 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
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