The COVID-19 pandemic in Palau is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by

severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a No ...

(). The virus was confirmed to have reached Palau on 31 May 2021. As of August 2021, Palau has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world with approximately 84% of its population fully vaccinated.

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, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019. The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, but the

transmission Transmission may refer to: Medicine, science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Propulsion transmission, technology allowing controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual transmission *** ...

has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.

Timeline

2020

Palau began implementing border controls early on. The President of Palau Thomas Remengesau Jr. issued an executive order suspending all charter flights from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, Macau, and Hong Kong from 1–29 February 2020. By March, the country's borders were closed. Schools were also shut starting in April. Remengesau eventually suspended travel to Palau. The order also quarantined all non-citizens who recently entered the country for fourteen days.

April 2021

On 1 April 2021 Palau and Taiwan established a "travel bubble", allowing people to travel between the two countries, with restrictions. The following month Palauan Minister of Health

Emais Roberts Emais Roberts is a Palauan politician and physician who has served as Governor of Peleliu since 2022. He previously served as the country's Minister of Health from 2017 to 2021 and led the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Palau. Early life ...

said that the Taiwan bubble had become a "mute issue now" due to travel restrictions introduced between the countries as a result of Taiwan's rising COVID-19 cases.

May - June 2021

Palau registered its first case of COVID-19 on 31 May 2021. President

Surangel Whipps Jr. Surangel S. Whipps Jr. (born 9 August 1968) is a Palauan businessman and politician, who has served as the president of Palau since 2021. He served as senator from 2008 to 2016. He is from Ngatpang state, Republic of Palau. Whipps assumed office a ...

said that the patient was at low risk of infecting others and that the close contacts of the patient had returned negative test results. President

also highlighted that the majority of the population had been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. On 11 June 2021, a second case was reported.

August 2021

As of 24 August 2021, there have not been any new cases.

Statistics

New cases per day

Cases by states

Vaccination

Palauans began receiving

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...

s in 2021. As a member of the Compact of Free Association with the United States, Palau has received vaccines from Operation Warp Speed. According to the Ministry of Health, vaccination started on 3 January and as of 12 April 40% of the population was fully vaccinated. By 26 May, an estimated 96% of adults (18 and over) in the country had been fully vaccinated. By the time the first case was detected, 97% of the adult population was vaccinated, about 70% of all Palauans. Plans were also announced to start vaccinating adolescents from 12 to 17. By early August 2021, 65% of 12 to 17 year olds had at least one dose of the vaccine, resulting in 80% of the eligible population being fully vaccinated. As of 24 August 2021, 14,938 adults have received at least 1-dose with 14,447 of those being fully vaccinated. A further 1,146 adolescents (aged 12 to 17 years old) have received at least 1-dose with 835 of those being fully vaccinated. Palau's population is approximately 18,092, meaning approximately 84.5% of the total population is fully vaccinated.

References

{{COVID-19 pandemic Palau Disasters in Palau Health in Palau COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania 2020 in Palau 2021 in Palau 2022 in Palau