Nauru vaccinates all its adults in ‘world record’ effort

KOROR — The tiny Pacific nation of Nauru has congratulated itself for a “world record” Covid-19 vaccination drive which resulted in all its adult population receiving their first jab.

The remote island nation, one of the few places in the world to remain virus-free, said the four-week vaccination campaign had exceeded expectations.

It said 7,392 people received the first dose, or 108 percent of the estimated adult population, with foreigners included in the figure.

“The National Coronavirus Taskforce is extremely pleased with this world record result and thanks everyone on Nauru for playing their part to keep Nauru Covid free and safe,” the government said in a statement.

Taskforce chairman Kieren Keke said Nauru was fortunate to have enough vaccine doses to cover its adult population but there was no room for complacency, with testing ongoing to ensure the island remained virus-free.

“With every arriving traveller, the risk of the coronavirus entering Nauru remains and recent events in PNG, Fiji and India have shown how quickly the situation can change,” he said.

Nauru received AstraZeneca vaccine doses as part of the global Covax program aimed at boosting immunization in poorer nations.