The last places on earth without COVID-19

A child plays under The Unisphere in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Queens borough of New York City, U.S., April 25, 2020. (REUTERS/Andrew Kelly)

 

 

Gurman Bhatia and Manas Sharma
(Reuters) 

 

Despite infecting more than 3 million people around the world, there are still 33 countries and territories that have yet to report a single case of the novel coronavirus.

 

These include Comoros, Lesotho, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and tiny far-flung island nations in the Pacific such as Nauru, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands.

(See interactive graphic showing the last places on earth to be free of the new coronavirus here https://tmsnrt.rs/3cUYM31)

 

As of April 20, 214 countries and territories of the 247 recognised by the United Nations have seen at least one case of the COVID-19. Of these, 190 have also experienced local transmission — where the virus has spread within the community. There have been deaths in at least 166 of them.

 

Just because a nation has not reported an infection does not necessarily mean there have been no cases.

 

For example, North Korea has not reported any coronavirus cases but it is bordered by China, Russia and South Korea, all countries dealing with a high number of cases, meaning the virus may well have made it into the secretive state.

 

Some trends can be seen by looking at the spread of the coronavirus by regions. Asia experienced roughly two broad waves of transmission across borders, while in Europe, many countries started to report cases in the week from late February.

 

Latin America and Africa looked to be virus-free for January and February before the coronavirus spread rapidly through both continents.

 

Five countries and territories have managed to rid themselves of the virus after reporting cases. These are Anguilla, Greenland, the Caribbean islands of St. Barts and Saint Lucia, and Yemen.

 

None has reported deaths or state any currently active infections, with previous cases having fully recovered.

 

Countries and territories without any cases of COVID-19

Europe

1.       Aland Islands

2.       Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands

Latin America

3.       Bouvet Island

4.       South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Asia

5.       North Korea

6.       Tajikistan

7.       Turkmenistan

Africa

8.       British Indian Ocean Territory

9.       Comoros

10.   French Southern Territories

11.   Lesotho

12.   Saint Helena

Oceania

13.   American Samoa

14.   Christmas Island

15.   Cocos (Keeling) Islands

16.   Cook Islands

17.   Heard Island and McDonald Islands

18.   Kiribati

19.   Marshall Islands

20.   Micronesia (Federated States of)

21.   Nauru

22.   Niue

23.   Norfolk Island

24.   Palau

25.   Pitcairn

26.   Samoa

27.   Solomon Islands

28.   Tokelau

29.   Tonga

30.   Tuvalu

31.   United States Minor Outlying Islands

32.   Vanuatu

33.   Wallis and Futuna Islands

 

Countries and territories where all reported cases have recovered

1.  Anguilla

2. Greenland

3. Saint-Barthélemy

4.  Saint Lucia