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The remote peaceful nation of Palau reported on Monday its first confirmed case of coronavirus, but authorities said it was historic and posed no risk of transmission.
The small island state of 21,000 has so far managed to avoid COVID-19 after closing its borders at the beginning of the pandemic, despite the huge cost to its tourism-dependent economy.
The health ministry said it was found that a traveler who arrived in Palau earlier this month had the virus, although they tested negative once before leaving for the island and twice for a fortnight of two weeks.
“Further evidence revealed that this is a historical case – past infection – of COVID-19 and that it is not infectious,” it said in a statement.
The ministry estimated that the person who contracted the virus in January this year.
Authorities declined to disclose any details about the patient or the country from which they traveled, citing privacy issues.
The ministry said the person was isolated and that close contacts were being assessed only as a precaution.
Palau had a short-term travel bubble with Taiwan that closed earlier this month after the latter experienced an increase in virus cases.
© 2021 AFP
Citation: Palau records first case of coronavirus but says there is no risk of infection (2021, May 31) recovered on May 31, 2021 at https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-05-palau-coronavirus -case-infection.html
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