Covid Hits Many Pacific Islands For The First Time As It Recedes Elsewhere … Border closures protected many island nations for most of the pandemic, but the coronavirus evolved to become more transmissible.
When Basil Tavake left his home in the Solomon Islands on Dec. 31, he was excited for his chance to study abroad at the University of Hawaii Hilo.
But within weeks of leaving, the Solomon Islands experienced its first Covid-19 outbreak since the pandemic began some two years ago.
The number of confirmed cases quickly ballooned to more than 7,000, overwhelming health care workers and leading to dozens of deaths in a country of about 700,000 people.
Now Tavake spends every day refreshing Facebook to see the latest updates. Daily case counts have begun to fall, but he’s worried that the coronavirus will spread to his home province.
