The number of positive cases in the north Pacific nation, which has a population of about 60,000 people, has soared to more than 3,000 cases with four Covid-related deaths and seven hospital admissions. A thousand cases were reported in the capital, Majuro, on Sunday, which was “almost twice as many as the day before,” Health Minister Jack Niethendal said. Niedenthal said about 75% of the Covid tests came back positive, which he called an “incredibly high positivity rate”. The Marshall Islands have a vaccination rate of 70% of people six months of age and older. The remote nation was able to remain Covid-free until October 2020, when two travelers from the US tested positive. However, there was no transmission to the community until this month. The growing numbers have put further pressure on the Marshall Islands’ limited healthcare system, forcing the ministry to recall Covid-positive healthcare workers back to work to keep facilities running. In an update on his Facebook page, Niedenthal said more health workers tested positive on Sunday. “I’ve seen some negative complaints on social media about the idea that we’re asking healthcare workers to return to work if they’re only showing mild symptoms,” he said. However, he said the public health service had no choice. “You can’t have health care if you don’t have health workers.” The Marshall Islands was one of the first countries to close its borders to international travel, banning inbound flights on March 8, 2020, just days before the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic. “We spent many urgent and stressful hours convincing other government officials that this was the best thing to do, and they listened,” Niendtahl said in an email to the Guardian. The Covid-19 pandemic was preceded by dengue fever. “We knew we weren’t capable of fighting two highly contagious diseases at the same time, given our limited capacity,” Niedenthal said. He said the rapid closure of the border delayed the arrival of Covid-19, allowing time for organization and preparation. “This was a total community effort,” he said. For the entire calendar year of 2021, the Marshall Islands did not have a single case of Covid-19. “By delaying the onset of this disease longer than almost any country in the world, we have gained the scientific expertise needed to protect our people. It was smart,” he said. The health minister said his agency would send test kits and supplies, along with a nurse, to remote villages such as Aur, Maloelap, Jalui, Mili and Ailinglaplap, amid fears they too could soon record large number of cases. “With other atolls to follow soon, we are trying to prioritize those atolls and islands where we know there have been travelers from Majuro in the previous week and therefore potentially infected,” Niedenthal wrote.
