Thirty-six COVID-19 infections have been reported on a Chilean research base in Antarctica, making the coronavirus a world-wide epidemic.
“The detection of cases of COVID-19 in Antarctica will impact upon a range of areas, from planning and logistics of human activity on the continent through to high-level decision-making back home,” Hanne Nielsen from the University of Tasmania told Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Although there are few people in Antarctica, the impact could be detrimental.
“The presence of COVID-19 in Antarctica also has implications for local wildlife, with the threat of humans transmitting the virus to other species,” Nielsen said.
Chile’s health regulators approved the vaccine and will begin administering the vaccine as early as next week. Chilean President Sebastian Pinera hopes to send out 20,000 doses of the vaccine by the end of the month.
