Palau Could Become the First in the World to be Vaccinated
Health workers give Palau citizens their first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination.
Source: Palau Ministry of Health
By Rhea Mogul, CNN Digital Share Friday, 08 January 2021 09:38 AM
A cluster of islands in the Pacific Ocean that s one of the few places on Earth entirely free from COVID-19 could become one of the first countries vaccinated against the disease.
The Republic of Palau, an archipelago home to about 18,000 people, received its first shipment of the vaccine developed by U.S. pharmaceutical company Moderna on Saturday (2nd January 2021). Vaccinations started the next day, Palau s Ministry of Health announced on Twitter.
A cluster of islands in the Pacific Ocean that's one of the few places on Earth entirely free from Covid-19 could become one of the first countries vaccina
Coronavirus-free island nation of Palau could soon vaccinate almost all its people
Adam Taylor and Miriam Berger, The Washington Post
Jan. 5, 2021
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The tiny island nation of Palau could be one of the first countries to vaccinate nearly its entire population against the coronavirus. If it succeeds, it will have Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. vaccine development and distribution plan, to thank.
Palau is spread across hundreds of islands in the Pacific Ocean, roughly 500 miles east of the Philippines. The nation s isolation has substantial downsides, but it has served as a shield during the coronavirus pandemic: Palau has not recorded a single case of covid-19, the illness caused by the virus.