COVID-19 pandemic in the Federated States of Micronesia

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Federated States of Micronesia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus has reached the Federated States of Micronesia on 8 January 2021.^[1]

COVID-19 pandemic in the Federated States of Micronesia
Disease	COVID-19
Virus strain	SARS-CoV-2
Location	Federated States of Micronesia
First outbreak	Wuhan, Hubei, China
Arrival date	8 January 2021[1] (3 years, 8 months, 1 week and 2 days ago)
Confirmed cases	31,765[2]
Recovered	23,600[3]
Deaths	65[2]
Government website
FSM Department of Health & Social Affairs

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][5]

The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,^[6][7] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.^[8][6]

Timeline

Cases

Deaths

February 2020

By 3 February 2020, David W. Panuelo, President of the Federated States of Micronesia, had signed a declaration banning Micronesian citizens from travelling to China and other affected countries.^[9]

March 2020

By 5 March 2020, Micronesia had introduced a strict travel ban, banning anyone who had been in China anytime since January 2020 – or had been in any other affected country in the last 14 days – from entering Micronesia.^[10] As of 18 March, all schools in the country have also been closed.^[11]

January 2021

On 8 January 2021, Micronesia reported its first case, that of a crew member on board the MV Chief Mailo near Pohnpei, in managed isolation.^[1][12]

By the end of the month, the case was deemed to be negative and historical after subsequent antibody and antigen tests.^[13] The case was deemed a non-infectious "historical case", meaning the individual concerned likely had COVID-19 in the past possibly prior to October 2020 and was asymptomatic at the time of testing.^[14]

Statistics

New cases per day

Cases by states (as of 11 October 2022)

State	Confirmed cases	Historical cases	Deaths	References
Chuuk	11,772	0	22	[15]
Kosrae	1,113	1	3	[16][17][18]
Pohnpei	5,817	3	23	[14][19][20][21][22]
Yap	3,068	0	5	[23]
4/4	21,770	4	53	[24]

Impact

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Chuuk Women's Council switched from group-based services to one-to-one outreach. A particular concern was access to sexual health resources, including information, as well as HIV prevention packages.^[25]

See also

• COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania

Notes

References

1. "MV Chief Mailo Returns to FSM After More Than One Year Abroad; One Isolated But Confirmed Case of COVID-19 on Board, Citizens Encouraged To Keep Distance From the Vessel & Quarantine Sites Until Further Notice". gov.fm. 8 January 2021. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
2. Ritchie, Hannah; Mathieu, Edouard; Rodés-Guirao, Lucas; Appel, Cameron; Giattino, Charlie; Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban; Hasell, Joe; Macdonald, Bobbie; Beltekian, Diana; Dattani, Saloni; Roser, Max (2020–2022). "Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)". Our World in Data. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
3. "Micronesia COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer". Retrieved 8 March 2023.
4. Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
5. Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
6. "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
7. "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
8. "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
9. "FSM, Marshall Islands step up coronavirus travel bans". RNZ. 1 February 2020. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
10. Withers, Rachel (5 March 2020). "The Most Drastic Anti-Coronavirus Travel Ban in the World". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on 9 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
11. "Coronavirus: Two more cases confirmed in Guam". Radio New Zealand. 19 March 2020. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
12. "Federated States of Micronesia reports imported case of COVID-19". Pacific Daily News. 9 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
13. "WHO: FSM is Covid-19 free again". Marianas Variety News & Views. February 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
14. Staff Reports (21 January 2021). "Confirmed COVID-19 case in FSM considered 'historical case', vaccine campaign spreads". Pacific Daily News. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
15. "positive tests identified in Chuuk Quarantine. individuals safely contained and isolated". www.facebook.com. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
16. Information, FSMPublic (24 July 2021). "COVID-19 Case in Kosrae Deemed Historical & Non-Infectious; Individual to Remain Isolated, Tested Further, for 14 Days; "Get Vaccinated Today", Says President Panuelo – FSM Embassy". Retrieved 25 April 2022.
17. "During Routine Quarantine Following Repatriation, Two Positive Cases of COVID-19 Identified & Isolated in Kosrae State; Kosrae's Community Remains COVID-19 Free". Facebook. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
18. Kosrae Risk Communication & Community Engagement (23 July 2022). "Situation Report # 5". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
19. "FSM Repatriation Flights Scheduled for May 9th & 23rd in Kosrae, May 11th & 30th for Chuuk, May 14th & 25th for Pohnpei, and May 11th for Yap". Facebook. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
20. "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Repatriation Update". Facebook. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
21. "Announcement". www.facebook.com. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
22. Pohnpei State Enginkehlap (23 July 2022). "COVID 19 update as of July 23, 2022". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
23. "Sharing our weekly COVID-19 SitRep". www.facebook.com. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
24. "FSM COVID-19 UPDATE". www.facebook.com. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
25. "Ensuring uninterrupted HIV, TB and malaria services in the time of COVID-19 | UNDP in the Pacific". 3 October 2021. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.