Antarctica: 16 research station workers infected with Covid

Belgium, Coronavirus, Infection, Lockdown, Superspreader events, Transmission, Vaccine, Vaccine Breakthrough

A Belgian scientific research station in Antarctica has seen an outbreak of Covid-19 affect two thirds of its workforce, despite workers being fully vaccinated and based in one of the world’s remotest regions.

Since 14 December, at least 16 of the 25 workers at the Princess Elisabeth Polar Station have caught the virus.

A positive Covid case was first detected on December 14 among the members of the team who arrived seven days earlier, during the second delivery flight.

The infected person was immediately placed in isolation, but despite this, tests carried out on the rest of the travelers revealed that two of them had also contracted the virus. These first three people concerned were evacuated on December 23. But since then, the virus has still managed to circulate in the station.

Le Soir report (in French)

 

December 2020:

Covid19 reaches Antarctica – 36 people infected


 
 

Antarctica: Covid outbreak at an Argentinian research station

 
   

Image by Angie Agostino from Pixabay

** This post was originally published on January 1, 2022 **