COVID-19 pandemic in Kiribati

COVID-19 pandemic in Kiribati
Disease	COVID-19
Virus strain	SARS-CoV-2
Location	Kiribati
First outbreak	Wuhan, China
Index case	Betio, South Tarawa
Arrival date	18 May 2021[1]
Confirmed cases	5,085[2]
Recovered	4,996[3]
Deaths	24[2]
Government website
https://covid19.gov.ki/

The COVID-19 pandemic in Kiribati 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 was confirmed to have reached Kiribati on 18 May 2021.^[1]

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

COVID-19 cases in Kiribati  (

• v
• t
• e

)
     Deaths        Recoveries        Active cases

2021202120222022

MayMayJunJunJulJulAugAugSepSepOctOctNovNovDecDec

JanJanFebFeb

Last 15 daysLast 15 days

Date			# of cases	# of deaths
2021-05-18			1(n.a.)	0(n.a.)
2021-05-19			1(=)	0(n.a.)
2021-05-20			1(=)	0(n.a.)
2021-05-21			2(+100%)	0(n.a.)
⋮
2021-05-24			0(n.a.)	0(n.a.)
⋮
2022-01-17			37(n.a.)	0(n.a.)
⋮
2022-01-23			58(n.a.)	0(n.a.)
2022-01-24			66(+14%)	0(n.a.)
2022-01-25			89(+35%)	0(n.a.)
2022-01-26			116(+30%)	0(n.a.)
2022-01-27			181(+56%)	0(n.a.)
2022-01-28			201(+11%)	0(n.a.)
2022-01-29			266(+32%)	0(n.a.)
2022-01-30			364(+37%)	0(n.a.)
2022-01-31			460(+26%)	0(n.a.)
2022-02-01			629(+37%)	0(n.a.)
2022-02-02			767(+22%)	0(n.a.)
2022-02-03			913(+19%)	0(n.a.)
2022-02-04			1,037(+14%)	0(n.a.)
2022-02-05			1,387(+34%)	0(n.a.)
2022-02-06			1,543(+11%)	0(n.a.)
2022-02-07			1,744(+13%)	0(n.a.)
2022-02-08			1,951(+12%)	1(n.a.)
2022-02-09			2,173(+11%)	1(=)
2022-02-10			2,235(+2.9%)	2(+100%)
2022-02-11			2,316(+3.6%)	3(+50%)
2022-02-12			2,451(+5.8%)	3(=)
2022-02-13			2,548(+4%)	3(=)
2022-02-14			2,582(+1.3%)	3(=)
2022-02-15			2,665(+3.2%)	8(+167%)
2022-02-16			2,737(+2.7%)	9(+12%)
2022-02-17			2,757(+0.73%)	9(=)
2022-02-18			2,810(+1.9%)	9(=)
Sources: RNZ Pacific WHO COVID-19 Portal Kiribati Office of Te Beretitenti

Cases

Deaths

February 2020

On 1 February 2020, the government of Kiribati put all visas from China on hold and required new arrivals to fill in a health form and travellers from countries with the coronavirus to go through a self-quarantine period.^[9] Despite not having any cases, on 28 March President Taneti Maamau declared a state of emergency.^[10]

September 2020

On 10 September, the government announced it will keep the borders closed until the end of the year to keep the country free of the virus. Some exceptions will be made, including repatriations, humanitarian flights and the transport of essential supplies into the country. A group of 20 I-Kiribati people in the Marshall Islands are the first set to be repatriated.^[11]

November 2020

On 19 November, the government repatriated 62 citizens, who had been stranded abroad since February, on a chartered Fiji Airways flight. Upon arrival, residents must go through a 14-day mandatory quarantine at Bikenibeu, Tarawa.^[12]

May 2021

By 15 May 2021, Kiribati repatriated 1,400 I-Kiribati stranded abroad without import any positive cases.^[13] The pandemic has led to the loss of I-Kiribati seafarers' jobs because of the requirement to present a negative PCR test to return to work, and a lack of a machine to perform tests in Kiribati.^[14]

On 18 May 2021, I-Kiribati president Taneti Maamau announced the first positive case, a local seafarer returning from Papua New Guinea on a ship quarantined in Betio port.^[1] Two days later, a second positive case was detected on the same ship.^[15][16] The same day, a curfew was imposed.^[17] On 25 May, the repatriation program was suspended to deal with positive cases.^[18] Minister of Health, Dr Tinte Itinteang, reported that a second I-Kiribati fisherman has been identified and has recovered.^[18]

January 2022

Kiribati re-opened its border to international travelers on January 10, 2022.^[19][20] The border had been closed since March 2020.^[20] All international arrivals would be processed through a single entry point on South Tarawa.^[19][20][21]

Days later, the first international commercial flight in almost two years - a charter flight run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Fiji - landed in Kiribati.^[20] 36 of the 54 passengers on the plane tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival.^[21] A local I-Kiribati security guard at the quarantine center in Bikenibeu also tested positive after contact with the plane's passengers.^[20] The country had only recorded two previous COVID cases prior to the plane's arrival.^[20]

In response to the larger number of COVID cases from the flight, the government announced a nationwide curfew beginning January 19, 2022, and made mask wearing compulsory under its "alert level 2 tier in its Covid-19 alert level system."^[21]

On 22 January, the country went into lockdown due to confirmed community transmission of the virus. The four-day lockdown which is under its alert level 3 became effective from 3:00 p.m. A 24-hour curfew is also in effect with all non-essential services closed. Exceptions will be made for those who are going to buy essential foods.^[22]

On 28 January, the government extended its lockdown for another week as cases rose rapidly in the community. Government officials have also tested positive for the virus and are working remotely.^[23]

On 31 January, Kiribati reported a total of 364 cases (324 in the community 42 imported cases). In response, the Kiribati Government extended its state of disaster by another month and also extended the curfew in Betio, South Tarawa, and Buota for another seven days in order to contain the spread of COVID-19.^[24]

February 2022

On 1 February 2022, Kiribati reported 169 new cases, bringing the total number to 629.^[25]

June 2022

As on 23 June 2022, total number of Covid cases in Kiribati was 3215, including 564 active cases, 2638 recoveries and 13 deaths.

Vaccination

As of 21 May 2021, Kiribati is one of last countries to have not started a vaccination campaign. Support from Australia is under discussions for access to vaccines.^[26] Kiribati is an eligible country for COVAX program, and is expected to receive 48,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine.^[27] On 25 May 2021, Kiribati received its first 24,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine via COVAX.^[28]

Statistics

New cases per day

Cases by Islands

Island	Cases	Deaths	References
Abaiang	45	0	[29]
Abemama	18	0	[30]
Aranuka	11	0	[31]
Beru	10	0	[32]
Butaritari	134	0	[33][34]
Maiana	25	0	[35]
Makin	9	0	[31]
Marakei	no data	0
Nonouti	62	0	[36]
Onotoa	16	0
Tabiteuea	65	0	[32]
Tarawa[a][b]	2,857	3	[1][15][37][38]
Total	3,252[c]	13

See also

• COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania

Notes

1. 2,763 positive cases on South Tarawa, Betio and Buota and 49 cases on North Tarawa (without Buota).
2. Includes 45 imported cases in managed quarantine on South Tarawa and Betio.
3. 18 recorded in Abaiang and North Tarawa indistinctly.

References

1. Radio Kiribati. "Kiribati crew confirmed with Covid-19". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
2. Mathieu, Edouard; Ritchie, Hannah; Rodés-Guirao, Lucas; Appel, Cameron; Giattino, Charlie; Hasell, Joe; Macdonald, Bobbie; Dattani, Saloni; Beltekian, Diana; Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban; Roser, Max (2020–2024). "Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)". Our World in Data. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
3. "Kiribati COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer". Retrieved 2023-03-09.
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. "Coronavirus: Kiribati blocks Chinese travellers". 1 February 2020. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
10. "President declared Kiribati a state of public emergency for convid-19". Kiribati Updates. 29 March 2020. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
11. "Kiribati borders remain closed for 2020". RNZ. 10 September 2020. Archived from the original on 10 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
12. "Repatriation of stranded i-Kiribati recommences". RNZ. 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
13. "Kiribati seeking new transit countries for repatriation program". RNZ. 2021-05-13. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
14. "Kiribati", The Statesman's Yearbook Companion, London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 715–716, 2019, doi:10.1057/978-1-349-95839-9_1404, ISBN 978-1-349-95838-2, retrieved 2021-05-21
15. Radio Kiribati. "Kiribati confirms second Covid-19 case". Facebook.com. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
16. Staff, Pacific Island Times News (2021-05-19). "Kiribati Covid-free no more; citizens ordered to mask up". pactimes. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
17. "Curfew imposed in Kiribati after covid discoveries". RNZ. 2021-05-21. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
18. "Kiribati suspends repatriations to deal with Covid-19 cases". RNZ. 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
19. "In brief: News from around the Pacific: Kiribati's border reopens". Radio New Zealand. 2022-01-14. Archived from the original on 2022-01-15. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
20. Chumko, André (2022-01-18). "Covid-19: Curfew in Kiribati after first commercial flight in almost two years brings in 40 cases -report". Stuff. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
21. Chumko, André (2022-01-19). "Covid-19: Kiribati confirms 37 cases, makes mask-wearing mandatory". Stuff. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
22. "Kiribati heading into lockdown as Covid emerges in the community". Radio New Zealand. 2022-01-22. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
23. "Covid-19: Kiribati extends lockdown as 65 new cases recorded". Radio New Zealand. 2022-01-28. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
24. "Covid-19: Kiribati faces more infections". Radio New Zealand. 31 January 2022. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
25. Anthony, Kelvin (2 February 2022). "More than 600 Covid-19 cases in Kiribati 'tip of the iceberg', health minister says". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
26. "KIRIBATI COVID-19 DEVELOPMENT RESPONSE PLAN" (PDF). dfat.gov.au. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-05-21. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
27. COVAX. "THE COVAX FACILITY: INTERIM DISTRIBUTION FORECAST" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-02-03. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
28. "Kiribati to start Covid-19 vaccination rollout". RNZ. 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
29. "Office of Te Beretitenti". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
30. "Office of Te Beretitenti". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
31. "Nimangaun ma teniman (53) aika reke manin te COVID-19 irouia". Facebook. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
32. "Office of Te Beretitenti COVID-19 Update: TFriday 12th June 2022". www.facebook.com. 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
33. "Kuneaki ruaman (9) iaon Butaritari ao uangaun ma 28 aika boou iaon Tarawa Teinainano ma Betio ake iai irouia te COVID-19". Facebook. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
34. "Tebubua nimangaun ma niman (155) iaon Tarawa Teinainano ma Betio ao tengaun ma aman (14) I Butaritari ake a manga kamatoaki bwa iai te COVID-19 irouia". facebook.com. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
35. "Office of Te Beretitenti COVID-19 Update: Thursday 24th March 2022". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
36. "COVID-19 Update 18th July 2022". www.facebook.com. 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
37. "Kuneaki itiman riki te keiti ibukin te COVID-19". Facebook. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
38. "Kamatoaaki uabubua ao itiman (207) aika iai manin te COVID-19 irouia". Facebook. Retrieved 2022-02-08.