Now, Micronesia in Pacific records first COVID-19 case
Pacific nation of Micronesia with just 100,000 inhabitants recorded its first coronavirus case ending its run as one of the few places in the world where the virus hadn't arrived.
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An "alarmed" president appealed for calm and not panic. President David Panuelo informed that the virus was detected after a crew member of government ship "Chief Mailo" was found to be positive.
The man and his other crewmen remain on the ship which is anchored off the island nation under round-the-clock surveillance. The Micronesia president said that schools, churches and businesses will continue to remain open.
Several island nations which were virus-free have lost the status recently with the Solomon Islands, the Marshall Islands, Samoa and Vanuatu falling to the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world.
However, several other island countries including Tonga, Palau, Nauru and Kiribati reportedly still remain virus-free.
The virus has spread to all seven continents with virus entering hitting Antarctica in late December. A Chilean army base was infected with the virus as 36 people tested positive.
The virus has spread to virtually all corners of the globe infecting more than 90 million people and leading to the deaths of over 1.9 people worldwide.
The United States is the worst-hit country with the virus accounting for over 22 million infection cases and over 374,320 deaths.