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]
On 4 March, Wallis and Futuna turned away a cruise ship over fears of infection; the possibility of denying entry to another ship by the end of the month was also under consideration.[9] Incoming flights were curtailed, except those delivering essential supplies.[10]
April 2020
On 23 April, the island began repatriating its 300 inhabitants stranded on New Caledonia.[11]
October 2020
On 16 October, the collectivity reported its first case.[12] On 23 October a new test on the first case was negative, making Wallis and Futuna COVID-free once more.[13]
November 2020
On 12 November, the collectivity reported its second case.[14][15] On 24 November, a third case was reported.[16]
March 2021
On 6 March 2021, a patient admitted at a local hospital was confirmed as the first local COVID-19 case.[17] Six new local cases were detected on 7 March,[18] and 11 others the following day, with the first confirmed case on the island of Futuna.[19] Subsequently, a 14-day lockdown was imposed on 9 March to prevent further spread.[20] 55 positive cases were reported by 10 March, of which three were in Futuna.[21] By 14 March, 176 positive cases had been confirmed, with five reported in Futuna.[22]
A vaccination campaign was started on 19 March with the Moderna vaccine.[23] As of 1 April 2021, 3,662 people had been vaccinated (44.2% of the population).[24]
By 20 March, the collectivity had reported 302 new cases since 6 March,[25] bringing the total to 311, with nine positive cases in isolation. On 22 March, the first COVID-19-related death was confirmed, that of an 80-year-old woman from Futuna hospitalized in Wallis. By 1 May 2021, seven deaths were reported.[26][27]
November 2021
From late November 2021, travelers entering Wallis and Futuna were required to undergo three-day quarantine at a local hotel following the detection of an imported case from New Caledonia the previous week. Travelers entering the territory are still required to undergo pre-departure quarantine in New Caledonia.[28]
Vaccination
As of 21 July 2021, a total of 9,276 vaccine doses have been administered.[3]
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