You may not have heard of this tiny nation. But Palau is making headlines in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
An archipelago of 500 islands in the western Pacific Ocean, Palau has the world’s highest percentage of people vaccinated against the coronavirus disease.
According to the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC), 16152 people out of an eligible population of about 18000 have received the vaccine. In other words, over 99 per cent of the eligible population – over 12 years of age — are fully vaccinated.
India, at the other end of the spectrum vis-a-vis population, is way behind in terms of percentage covered. About 75% of eligible population (above 18) have got one dose, while around 30% are fully vaccinated.
Red Cross said in a statement that Palau is in “top spot’ — ahead of countries like Portugal, which had vaccinated 80 per cent of its 10 million eligible people by September.
Red Cross praised Palau’s “remarkable” pace of vaccination.
“It is important to celebrate the success of reaching high vaccination rates in many Pacific countries, including Palau, Fiji and the Cook Islands,” said IFRC’s Pacific office head Katie Greenwood.
Greenwood added that it was “critical to get everyone vaccinated ahead of the cyclone season, which threatens to damage homes and infrastructure, stretching resources and services needed to contain COVID-19.”
There could be as many as 12 tropical cyclones in the southwest Pacific between November 2021 and April 2022, according to National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, New Zealand.
